NEWSROOM

Cruising through campus on a handmade electric skateboard

13 April 2022

The infamous hills that surround the University of Auckland’s City Campus have inspired one student to take matters into his own hands. Third-year Bachelor of Commerce student Petr Bublienko has used the free tools and equipment available at Unleash Space, the University’s innovation hub and maker space, to make his own electric skateboard. 

Petr, who is also a student Creative Technologist (CT) at Unleash Space, designed and built the skateboard so that it is compatible with most terrains. It has a range of up to 30km, and a hand-held controller allows him to reach a technical max speed of 68km/h.

“Everything was a challenge in this project,” says Petr. “There were lots of firsts for me – making a battery from individual cells, creating a fibreglass casing. The list goes on. But I’ll tell you this – YouTube and dedicated forums can allow you to do anything! All you need to do is research lots and don’t be afraid to try.”

Turning to the expertise of the maker community that exists at Unleash Space also proved to be invaluable when building the skateboard. Petr says, “I got a lot of advice from other students, CTs, and the Maker Space Coordinator, which helped me a ton! Especially when I was making the battery. Their advice helped me consider challenges from a new perspective and completely changed the finished project.”

Having completed the bulk of the project, Petr is now focused on testing and refining his design as well as adding extra features, with a plan to eventually turn his passion project into a business making custom boards. He says, “My favourite part of this project has definitely been just enjoying the ride! The sun, the ocean breeze, and pure tranquillity (unless you are going over 50km/h) are unlike any feeling I’ve ever felt. In the city, it’s also just a super fabulous, stylish, and compact way of getting from A to B!”

Petr’s advice for other students taking on their own projects is to “double-check everything. Cross-check advice from friends and recommendations from people on forums with your own research. It could save you a lot of time and money! Other than that, just don’t be afraid to experiment, ask lots of questions, and most importantly, make sure there’s nothing flammable next to your project…”

Unleash Space is the University of Auckland’s state-of-the-art innovation hub and maker space run by the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It offers free access to equipment, tools, and resources for all current students and staff of the University.