While many continue to predict the decline of vehicle ownership and the sustained growth of the sharing economy, one transportation company begs to differ.  Boosted, a leading manufacturer of high-performing electric vehicles including lightweight skateboards and scooters, is on a mission to provide an alternative to public and ride-share commuting, side-stepping common pain points like availability anxiety, traffic jams and unpredictable rate surges. 

Reliability and affordability are key to Boosted's value proposition, providing commuters with the ability to simply hop in the bike lane to get wherever they need to go without the restrictions and uncertainty of car or train-based methods.  PSFK spoke to Boosted's chief marketing officer, Noriko Morimoto, for an inside look at the brand pushing sustainable ownership in a climate of increased ride-sharing and renting:

What do you see as some of the primary benefits to electric scooters/skateboards as opposed to traditional forms of mobility? 

Getting around is increasingly difficult, especially in our major cities and campuses—known as the “last mile” issue.  Transportation is plagued with inefficiency; it’s costly and time consuming.  The two major benefits to light electric vehicles is time saved on daily commutes—no hailing, waiting, traffic or parking —and money saved on public transportation, Ubers and more. 

How do you see mobility evolving currently, and how does Boosted fit into this transformation? 

Over time, we believe innovations in transportation—including Boosted’s light electric vehicles—will have a have a profound, long-lasting impact on the way we live our lives and spend our time.  Cities and towns will be built for people, not cars, and we’ll spend a lot more time living life vs. sitting in traffic. 

A key differentiator for Boosted is obviously the pay-to-own model as opposed to a pay-to-access model.  Why do you think consumers are still keen on ownership? “ Rideshare” and “scooter share” are certainly buzzwords of the year and the perception is that the solution to the last mile transportation problem is ride-sharing.  However, the ownership model has distinct advantages over the sharing programs in regards to product quality and reliability. 

A majority of vehicles you see in the shared market are not built with the reliability and safety necessary for a commuter vehicle.  Riders are often stuck with riding damaged scooters.  It’s been reported that the average lifespan of a shared e-scooter is 28.8 days.  At Boosted, we’re building innovative, street-grade light electric vehicles with unmatched performance and vehicle grade quality built to last years. 

Also, availability anxiety is real for commuters.  When expensive app rides keep you waiting, your personal electric vehicle is as easy as drop and go.  Plus, while the average spend on scooter share is nearly $4 per ride, you can own a Boosted vehicle for as little as $2 per day.  For daily use, it simply makes more sense to own the vehicle. 

Does Boosted provide any post-purchase support (maintenance, education, etc) to buyers? 

Yes, absolutely!  We provide our customers with important safety information and tips and tricks for riding—targeting newbies and pros alike—via reading materials on our blog and how-to videos.  Plus, at Boosted, we offer best-in-class customer service and for our community of riders. 

How do you educate buyers on best safety practices, ownership, or riding behaviors? 

At Boosted, safety is top of mind for us, so we ensure our riders have access to editorial and video content that will help them get up to speed riding and on top of industry news via our blog and how-to videos covering topics rom risk awareness to maintenance. 

Finally, for the future, does Boosted have any physical store presence planned or are you staying online? 

We have over 450+ retail partners in North America plus a dozen in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.  Never say never, but no plans for retail presence at the moment. 

We’re also expanding markets and will have other products on our roadmap that will likely appeal to a wider range.  Stay tuned! 

Boosted

Lead image: Boosted