We all love our electric skateboards and some of us dream to take our eskates onto travels. Experiencing a foreign city or even country with our e-board would just be awesome! But there is one big problem – safety! The problem is the big Lithium-ion battery. If damaged, short-circuited, heated, or even designed poorly, these batteries may catch fire and explode. This is a pretty serious and dangerous situation and of course, should be avoided during flights.
But to accomplish our dream of traveling the world with our eboards we have to take them on planes. So, can you fly with electric skateboards?
Yes, you can. Electric skateboards with a battery capacity of less than 160 Wh can be taken on a plane, but airlines have the last word, and some of them will not allow you to fly with your board. It is prohibited to transport any batteries with capacities of more than 160 Wh on planes. Battery sizes between 100 and 160 Wh will need approval from the airlines and they are only permitted as carry-on baggage. Due to the big battery capacities, the majority of electric skateboards are not made for air travel.
There are several boards on the market that have small batteries. With these, you should be able to fly. A few companies do offer special carry-on batteries as well. In this blog post, I will point out, different electric skateboard models and their battery sizes, international air travel regulations, airline habits, e-skateboards you can fly with and at the end I will present you numerous tips on how to take your e-board on a plane and also provide alternatives if it doesn’t work.
With which models of electric skateboards can you fly?
I did some research regarding the most popular, and my personal favorite, models. Then I created a table that shows the electric skateboard model, whether or not the model is allowed to be taken on a plane, if the company offers an extra “carry-on-friendly” battery, and their battery size. If I missed a model or you believe that I should add other boards as well, please let me know in the comment section below.
Electric Skateboard Model | Allowed on planes | Extra carry-on-friendly battery available | Battery Size in Watt Hours (Wh) |
Apsuboard V3 | Yes | No | 144 Wh |
Apsuboard X1 | No | No | 288 Wh |
AeBoard Hornet Belt | No | No | 259 Wh |
Aeboard AX | Yes | No | 158 Wh |
Aeboard GT | No | No | 504 Wh |
Backfire G2 Black | No | No | 180 Wh |
Backfire G2 Galaxy | No | No | 216 Wh |
Backfire G3 | No | No | 260 Wh |
Backfire G3 Plus | No | No | 346 Wh |
Backfire Mini | No | No | 175 Wh |
Backfire Ranger X2 | No | No | 454 Wh |
Backfire Ranger X3 | No | No | 504 Wh |
Backfire Zealot | No | No | 311 Wh |
Boosted Mini S | Yes | Yes | 99 Wh |
Boosted Mini X | No | No | 199 Wh |
Boosted Plus | No | Yes | 199 Wh |
Boosted Stealth | No | Yes | 199 Wh |
Exway Atlas | No | No | 518 Wh |
Exway Flex | No | No | 259 Wh |
Exway Wave | No | No | 216 Wh |
Exway X1 Pro | No | No | 193 Wh |
Hoyt St EL1 | Yes | Yes | 3 x 90 Wh |
Kaly NYC Boards | No | No | 800+ Wh |
Lacroix Boards | No | No | 706+ Wh |
Lycaon GR | No | No | 270 Wh |
Lycaon TRX | No | No | 518 Wh |
Maxfind FF Plus | No | No | 216 Wh |
Maxfind Max4Pro | Yes | Yes | 158 Wh |
Maxfind M5 Drive Kit | Yes | Yes | 158 Wh |
Meepo AWD Pro | No | Yes | 144 – 288 Wh |
Meepo City Rider 2 | No | Yes | 504 Wh |
Meepo Mini 2 | Yes | Yes | 144 – 288 Wh |
Meepo NLS Belt | No | Yes | 144 – 288 Wh |
Meepo NLS Pro | No | Yes | 336 Wh |
Meepo V3 | Yes | Yes | 144 – 288 Wh |
Mellow Drive/ Board | Yes | Yes | 99 Wh |
MetroboardX | No | No | 576 Wh |
OneWheel Pint | Yes | No | 148 Wh |
OneWheel + | Yes | No | 130 Wh |
OneWheel + XR | No | No | 324 Wh |
ONSRA Black Carve | No | No | 360 – 466 Wh |
Revel Kit | Yes | No | 144 – 216 Wh |
Riptide Boards | Yes/ No | No | 97 – 199 Wh |
Unlimited X Loaded Kits | Yes | Yes | 99 Wh |
Verreal Mini | Yes | No | 144 Wh |
Verreal RS | No | No | 360 – 684 Wh |
WowGo AT2 | No | No | 504 Wh |
WowGo 3 | No | No | 216 Wh |
WowGo 3X | No | No | 259 Wh |
WowGo Knight | No | No | 288 Wh |
If you’ve liked this table then check out my ultimate Electric Skateboard Comparison Table here. I have even built an Electric Skateboard Drag and Drop Tool with which you can compare your favorite electric skateboard models! It took me days to create it, I hope you enjoy it!
International guidelines on Li-ion batteries regarding air travel
Guidelines for airline treatment of lithium battery-powered electronic devices in passenger baggage are issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). All have guidelines suggesting lithium-ion batteries under 100 watt-hours be allowed as carry-on.
You can check their guidelines here -links to their official post:
- International Air Transport Association (IATA)
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
Li-Ion batteries also need to have an Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL) certification. The battery design must have been tested to a test standard referred to as “UN38.3.” The majority of electric skateboard batteries on the market have this certification.
Airlines have the last word
Although IATA’s guidelines are widely used within the airline industry, each airline sets its own regulations. I highly recommend contacting the airline prior to your trip, especially if you plan to take your eboard on an international flight. Right now it is all a bit of a mess, like the early days of flying with laptops.
Thanks to all the exploding “hoverboards” and other cheap Li-ion powered toys, e-boards are facing a rough start in the airline industry. We should take a look at how other personal mobility devices are treated by airlines: Lithium-ion batteries power everything from laptops to smartphones to electric cars.
Various news stories have reported incidents in which hoverboards caught fire or exploded, hurting their riders or damaging nearby property. Reasonably, airlines aren’t willing to take the risk of an onboard explosion. There are roughly 100 accident stories stating that battery packs in self-balancing scooters and hoverboards get too hot. And with the risks of sparks, fire, and explosions, it’s no surprise 60 airlines have forbidden hoverboards from being taken aboard.
Electric skateboards you can fly with
I crafted this list to visualize better which boards can – theoretically – be brought onto a plane. Please note that airlines have the last word and various companies do not allow any electric skateboards on a plane. Some of the boards listed below have battery sizes between 100 and 160 Wh, so you will need the approval from the airlines to carry the item, and it is only permitted as carry-on baggage. However, I recommend you to contact the airline prior if you own eboards with battery capacities less than 100 Wh as well. Below you’ll find a list of eboards which have a battery capacity of less than 160 Wh.
- Apsuboard V3
- AeBoard AX
- Boosted Mini S
- Boosted Plus (with special travel battery)
- Boosted Stealth (with special travel battery)
- Evolve GTR (with special travel battery)
- Hoyt St El1
- Meepo Mini (with the smallest battery option and approval of the airline)
- Meepo V3 (with the smallest battery option and approval of the airline)
- Meepo Boards in general (with special travel battery)
- Mellow Drives
- OneWheel Pint (with approval from the airline, because battery size is over 100 Wh)
- Riptide R1
- Revel Kit
- Verreal Mini
- Unlimited X Loaded Kits
Check out our article on the Best Electric Skateboards in 2021
How to travel with electric skateboards on planes
Below are two lists of actions you can take to make travelling with e-boards easier.
Beforehand
- Check the guidelines of the airlines you want to travel with online
- Get in contact with these airlines
- If the response was positive print it out or save it on your phone – this way you have got proof for the security check and airlines employees
- Save or print out safety regulations regarding your location (IATA, TSA, FAA, or EASA)
- Remove the battery from your e-board
At the airport
- Check in the electric skateboard (without the battery)
- If the board is small enough, take it with you in the cabin (as carry-on)
- Take the e-board battery as a carry-on with you
- Be friendly and courteous to airport and airlines staff (obvious one)
The optimal way to transport the board is to remove the standard battery pack, place it in your carry-on, (the idea is if a battery starts a fire, they are at least trained to deal with it in the cabin, whereas with the luggage no one would know) and check the skateboard alone as luggage. Many riders have also successfully brought the e-skateboard on as a carry-on and placed it in the overhead bins, in the coat closet, or in other available cabin space with the assistance of a flight attendant.
What are the alternatives?
But what if you can’t get onto planes with your board? What if the airline doesn’t allow you to? Here are some alternatives you can try to still travel with your electric skateboard.
- If it’s possible drive to your destination
- If possible take the bus or train
- Try to rent a battery or a whole e-board at destination
- Try to send it via a courier in advance
If you’re travelling to a location that is not across an ocean or other body of water, it might be better for you to drive to your destination.
You can even try to rent an e-board battery.
I know, at first it sounds pretty crazy, but the internet makes a lot of things possible. There’s an chance that you’ll find someone in a forum or other platform who is willing to rent you his or her battery. You can also search for local electric skateboard shops – commonly just skate shops – at your travel destination that rent e-skateboards or e-board batteries. Call in advance and see if you can rent a battery that’ll fit your board.
If your board has a battery that is too big or the airline you travel with just doesn’t allow your e-board on flights for another reason, then you might want to have the board flown via a courier company to your destination.
Conclusion
Several airlines, appear to allow electric skateboards in certain circumstances, although policies have been changing rapidly. If you’ve got an upcoming flight, the best thing is to check it with your airline directly.
I hope you enjoyed reading my article. If you have recommendations I am happy to read them! Feedback is highly appreciated at e-skateboarder!
Hi Daniel, thanks a lot for sharing this important info!
Also, there is another eboard that is allowed to be carried on board, the Spectra X.
Hey Veronica!
Thank you for your comment! Your opinion is appreciated!
I did a lot of research regarding the best small and mini electric skateboard and have written a blog post about it.
You can find it here: http://e-skateboarder.com/best-small-and-mini-eboards/
Regarding my research the Spectra X from Walnut Tech. is not very reliable. The control pads (throttle and braking) often won’t work as designed.
But have you got other experiences? I would like to hear your opinion!
Cheers,
Daniel
HI good morning im filipino and i have an 22inch teamgee h3 electric skateboard i was wondering if this board is allowed on planes bec. im applying for a job overseas if you would kindly answer my question if it is allowed and if not , can i remove the battery first as an carry on baggage does that help?
Hey Raymond!
From a quick google search, I got that the Teamgee H3 has a 2200mAh battery capacity and a may battery output of 42 Volts.
If we multiply we get the Wh. So: Ah x Max Voltage = Wh (2,2Ah x 42V = 92,4Wh)
So yes, you could take your board with you. And yes removing the battery not only helps but is mandatory!
As I wrote in my first paragraph: “Battery sizes between 100 and 160 Wh will need approval from the airlines and they are only permitted as carry-on baggage.”
I hope that helps!
All the best,
Daniel
Good morning.
Hello I am thinking of getting a Exway x1 and I was wondering if it is permitted to go through the airline security, and is it possible to carry it on without removing the battery because I do not know if the battery is removable.
Hey!
Unfortunately, the battery of the Exway X1 has 120 Wh, so it is not allowed to take the whole board or even only the battery on the plane.
Greetings! 🙂