Alexandre Lachi and Sandy Lesieur are currently in their third year of a specialized engineering program. For their final project at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Châlons-en-Champagne, these work-study students decided to add a motor to a longboard. Read the interview with Alexandre, the project's initiator, below.
A longboard is a skateboard that is longer than a traditional skateboard, allowing riders to reach much higher speeds. Longboarding is a thrilling sport that involves riding along curves and trajectories, whether in the city or on the road.
Passionate about board sports and a natural handyman, Alexandre first built his own longboard. Originally from Reims, Alexandre quickly realized that it was difficult to ride in Champagne-Ardenne due to the flat terrain. That's how Alexandre came up with the idea of adding a motor to the board. The concept of the E-board was born.
"During our training, we have to complete the fifth semester. To do so, we have the option of going abroad or working on a project. The latter option seemed ideal for me to develop my E-board concept," adds the final-year engineering student.
From September to December 2017, Sandy, who was interested in the E-board, and Alexandre worked on the project's feasibility study. Being on the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Châlons-en-Champagne, the apprentices had access to the documentary and technical resources needed for this study. They were also able to benefit from the advice of teachers on certain technical points.
For Alexandre,specialized engineering training is a real asset: " Arts et Métiers a very good grounding in mechanics. Thanks to the various practical assignments, I learned how to dimension an engine, for example. This is a skill that is extremely useful to me at E-board."
After successfully defending their thesis, Alexandre and Sandy did not want to stop at the "project" stage. Ultimately, the idea is to market the E-board, but to do so, the two engineering students need to build a working prototype. After learning about the CrAMfunding initiative organized by the school, the apprentices decided to participate and raise funds.
After a two-month campaign, the students managed to raise €2,930, even though their initial goal was only €2,500.
Like an entrepreneur in the making, Alexandre declares: "Once we have raised the funds, we will be able to start building the E-board. If the tests are satisfactory, we will begin marketing our motorized longboard."
Although motorized longboards already exist in various forms, Alexandre wants to focus primarily on the mid-range segment, combining French expertise with affordable prices.
