Haywards Heath resident creates new electric scooter and skateboard hybrid

A design engineer and Haywards Heath resident has created a new electric scooter and skateboard hybrid.
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Ray Reynolds, 39, of Rocky Lane, has released the Yawboard All-Terrain after a successful crowdfunding campaign last autumn.

The Indiegogo page, which went live in September, raised more than £45,000 and fully funded the e-scooter in just 24 hours.

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“It’s fantastic,” said Ray, who has spent the past five years working on the project.

Ray Reynolds is the founder of Yawboard, a brand new electric skateboard and scooter hybrid. Picture by Steve RobardsRay Reynolds is the founder of Yawboard, a brand new electric skateboard and scooter hybrid. Picture by Steve Robards
Ray Reynolds is the founder of Yawboard, a brand new electric skateboard and scooter hybrid. Picture by Steve Robards

“It’s the validation of having strangers spend money on something that they believe in without even seeing it or using it,” he added.

Ray said he had always wanted to bring his own product to the market.

“I originally wanted to design a stunt scooter like the one all the kids have in the park, design a better version of that where they could do more tricks,” he said.

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“Then I discovered that a leaning scooter was a really excellent way to steer,” he added, saying that his original concept evolved over seven prototypes.

Ray Reynolds is the founder of Yawboard, a brand new electric skateboard and scooter hybrid. Picture by Steve RobardsRay Reynolds is the founder of Yawboard, a brand new electric skateboard and scooter hybrid. Picture by Steve Robards
Ray Reynolds is the founder of Yawboard, a brand new electric skateboard and scooter hybrid. Picture by Steve Robards

The steering on the Yawboard is similar to that of a skateboard or motorbike, said Ray.

“You’ve got trucks and as you lean the board, the deck and the handle to one side or the other that turns both the front and the rear wheels in the same arc,” he said.

The end result is a product that aims to be fun, but also stable and safe for a modern city commuter.

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Ray said that his former job as a snowboard instructor in New Zealand influenced his approach to the side-on scooter.

“It’s just something I love doing and really enjoy the feeling of,” he said, adding that one of his goals was to move the feeling of snowboarding ‘off of the slopes and onto the streets’.

But, unlike a snowboard, the Yawboard features a lithium-ion battery pack underneath its flexible deck.

This 14Ah battery has a range of up to 20 miles with a top speed of 22mph and there are three speed modes.

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It also has two 700w motors to power the rear wheels and seven-inch pneumatic all-terrain tyres.

“Giving it battery power means you don’t have to come down hills all the time and you don’t need to push yourself,” said Ray.

“You get that feeling like an endless snowboard ride.”

“It’s just so fun to ride,” he said.

“And it’s very powerful, compared to the entry level scooters you see people on.”

The Yawboard All-Terrain is available at www.yawboard.com for £1,150.

The vehicle weighs 12kg, including the battery, and can be folded down flat.

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