What if you went to the office while skiing?
This will soon be possible by getting on a pair of Skwheel Ones.
These all-terrain electric skis, designed in Conteville (Eure) by Antoine Massebeuf, stood out in January in the aisles of CES in Las Vegas, the Mecca of new technologies.
“The idea was born out of frustration,” laughs the 27-year-old young man.
“When I became a student, and financially I could no longer count on mom and dad to go skiing, I told myself that I had to manage to find that feeling of skiing again.”
Seeing him do a demonstration along the Vauban basin in Le Havre (Seine-Maritime), in front of the intrigued gaze of passers-by, the result seems to live up to the initial ambition.
The three partners are looking for premises in Normandy
Because although the project took years to mature, the self-taught entrepreneur always believed in it, building the first prototypes himself and canvassing family and friends to find financing.
Joined in the adventure by his brother Romain and their friend Joseph Dahirel, Antoine Massebeuf has now moved up a gear.
Supported by the region, the BPI and various investors, the three partners are looking for premises to install their assembly center in Normandy, convinced of the potential of a unique product in the world for which their company has already filed two patents, notably on the system that allows the front wheel to reproduce the “sculling” sensations of skis.
“It's very different from a scooter where you're on top of the wheels.
There, the center of gravity is very low, which ensures greater stability,” explains Joseph Dahirel, listing the characteristics of the Skwheels: top speed of 80 km/h, 30 km of autonomy at 25 km/h (at which the skis are clamped), removable batteries… Another innovation, a detachable wrist is used to manually control the speed of the four motors – one for each wheel – and is attached to the assembly which can be transported like a small suitcase on wheels.
“It’s essential if we want to claim to be an urban mobility solution,” continues Antoine Massebeuf.
First models available in June
And the entrepreneur already sees other markets to conquer… at the foot of the slopes.
“Several resorts, particularly in mid-mountains, have contacted us.
Independent equipment rental companies too.
Everyone is well aware of the consequences of global warming on snow cover and plans to offer additional leisure activities.”
The exhibition at CES in Las Vegas only reinforced this interest.
“We wanted to take advantage of this event to launch pre-sales of our Skwheels, the first models of which will be available in June.”
Sold for 1,700 euros per pair on the company's website, it will cost around 2,400 euros in the long term.
And already the objective of raising 50,000 euros was quickly exceeded.
But above all, major distributors around the world have spotted this innovative product and made contact to consider large-scale production.
“For them, we are talking about a range between 1,000 and 5,000 pairs,” Antoine Massebeuf cannot believe it, who is cautiously waiting for these discussions to materialize, aware that in business, like on skis, the The essential thing is to know how to keep balance.