Why this site exists
Mellow Boards occupied a distinctive position in the early electric skateboard market: German engineering, modular architecture, dual in-wheel motors, and a Kickstarter campaign that significantly exceeded its funding goal. When companies are acquired, websites go dark, forums archive, and specification PDFs disappear from CDNs. This project preserves and organises publicly documented material so researchers, owners, and curious riders can still follow the narrative.
We are not affiliated with Mellow Boards GmbH, TQ-Group, TQ-Systems, or any successor entity unless independently verified. We do not sell products, accept orders, or represent customer support. Any mention of products describes historical offerings documented in period sources.
Editorial standards
Content is written in original English prose based on verifiable historical facts: founding in Hamburg in 2015; founders Johannes Schewe and Kilian Green; the Mellow Drive modular system; Kickstarter results (€309,978 from 364 backers versus a €100,000 goal, May–June 2015); March 2017 launch; November 2018 acquisition by TQ Systems; and published specifications including 40 km/h top speed, approximately 15 km range, 99 Wh battery, IP65 rating, regenerative braking, four riding modes, 3.9 kg weight, and 366 × 174 × 59 mm dimensions.
Where sources conflict, we note uncertainty. Where present-day status is unclear — warranty, spare parts, corporate contact — we say so explicitly rather than implying continuity.
See the sources and methodology page for how material is categorised and cited.
What we cover
- Company history and timeline
- Technology subsystems and specifications
- Products including Cruiser and Surfer complete boards
- Founder profiles and Kickstarter context
Historical versus current information
Pages on this site describe what was publicly reported during Mellow's active development and launch period. Corporate ownership changed in 2018; official web presence and support channels may have changed since. We do not claim knowledge of current availability, pricing, firmware updates, or repair services. If you require official assistance, seek verified contact channels independently — we cannot provide them.
Who this archive serves
Owners of legacy Mellow hardware often need specification confirmation long after official documentation moves or disappears. Micromobility researchers tracing hub-motor adoption in Europe benefit from a structured timeline tying crowdfunding rhetoric to shipped specifications. Journalists covering consolidation in small EV brands can use the TQ acquisition chapter as a case study in industrial absorption of consumer startups. Each audience shares a need for clarity about what is verified history versus uncertain present status — the dividing line this site repeats in status notes and disclaimers.
We write for readers who prefer complete sentences and mechanical accuracy over hype. That means explaining why a 99 Wh battery was a portability trade-off, not parroting range figures without context. It means describing Kickstarter delays without either apologising for or demonising the founders — delays were endemic to first-run hardware in 2015–2017, documented extensively in campaign updates preserved in web archives.
Copyright & originality
All page text is original prose written for this archive. Facts are drawn from public sources; wording is not copied from press releases, Kickstarter pages, or reviews. No third-party photographs, logos, or manuals are embedded in this build.
Illustrations are original SVG files created for this project — schematic diagrams and editorial graphics, not reproductions of official product images. See copyright & trademarks and /assets/COPYRIGHT.txt.
Corrections and updates
Historical archives improve when primary sources surface. If you identify a factual error backed by a citable primary document — a dated press release, archived specification PDF, or contemporaneous interview — contact the site operator listed in the imprint. We distinguish correction of verifiable facts from speculative present-day status claims we cannot independently validate.
Visual assets on this site include editorial illustration where licensed historical photography is unavailable. Diagrams represent mechanical concepts documented in period materials; they are not manufacturing drawings.
Relationship to board-sports culture
Mellow's founders consistently framed electric assist as extending carving and commuting joy rather than replacing skate culture. That positioning influenced industrial design choices — modular mounting, restrained top speeds with explicit modes, IP65 for real cities — and marketing language around "The Endless Ride." This archive treats cultural context as part of the historical record, not as contemporary brand guidance. Skate communities evolve; our subject is what Mellow documented during its independent chapter.
Technical depth without sales pressure
Every specification repeated on this site — 40 km/h, 15 km, 99 Wh, 3.9 kg, 366 × 174 × 59 mm, IP65, dual hub motors, four modes, regeneration — comes from launch-period public materials, not from refreshed marketing copy. We explain what those numbers meant mechanically and why Mellow chose trade-offs common to compact hub drives. We do not imply you can purchase a new unit here or that specifications apply to unspecified future products.
Cross-links between technology, products, and riding pages mirror how an owner learned the system historically: hardware first, behaviour second, community context third. Search on FAQ and glossary pages helps locate terms quickly without conflating archival explanation with live support.
Language and accessibility choices
Content is authored in English for international researchers while preserving German place names and corporate entities as reported (Hamburg, TQ-Group, TQ Systems). Euro figures from Kickstarter appear as documented (€309,978 goal exceedance from €100,000 target). We spell out technical units on first reference where clarity helps — watt-hours, kilometres per hour — without drowning casual readers in jargon. Status notes repeat independence disclaimers so skim readers encounter uncertainty about present-day support even if they never read this about page fully.
Site structure map
Homepage sections introduce narrative themes; pillar pages deepen history, technology, products, founders, Kickstarter, and riding; reference pages — FAQ, glossary, sources, archive — support lookup. Legal pages carry placeholder publisher fields you must complete before production deployment. Navigation mirrors research paths: chronological readers start at history; engineers start at technology; owners troubleshooting legacy hardware start at FAQ then riding.
Internal links use root-relative URLs so body HTML works at any site depth once built — a build-system choice documented in project templates rather than repeated here as implementation detail.
We welcome corrections tied to primary sources; we decline to publish unverified rumours about corporate status, unreleased products, or private individuals associated with the brand.