JULIE K PHOTOGRAPHY

BETTER BOARD: Engineer Raine Kent with his record-breaking electric skateboard

The world’s fastest electric skateboard could easily overtake most cars zipping down a highway. This record-breaking board was designed by Raine Kent, a mechanical engineer from Australia. On a recent test run, the skateboard accelerated, or changed velocity, from zero to 132 kilometers (82 miles) per hour in just 12 seconds! At this speed, riding the skateboard feels like “a mix between surfing and skydiving,” says Kent.

Kent’s motor-powered skateboard may be fast, but a classic skateboard has gone faster! In 2017, a rider going downhill pulled only by the force of gravity reached a whopping 147 kmh (91 mph). Kent plans to improve the design of his current electric skateboard and hopes to break that record too.