Can you bring an Electric Skateboard on a Plane ?

Whenever you visit an unknown state, taxi drivers mostly loot the newcomers by asking for hefty charges. And since the price of petroleum products is skyrocketing in the global markets, these transportation expenses may cost you an arm and leg which, in turn, deteriorate your whole trip and budget.

But there’s a way to minimize these expenses; to bring your vehicle! But how is it possible? If you can’t board your bike or a car onto the plane then what transportation means you should bring with you? Well, we are talking about e-boards. After all, exploring new cities and states with your electric board is a dream of every skater. If you know how to ride an electric skateboard, you can get one in portable size and take it with you, wherever you’d go.

And most importantly, you won’t have to fill in any fuel into these boards. Just recharge the batteries whenever you arrive at your hotel room and you are good to go again. But there’s a problem though. E-boards require immense care since even the slightest damage to the battery or motor can lead to a short circuit, fire breakdown, or explosion – a situation that can risk the life of every single passenger on the plane.

So the question which arises here is can you bring an electric skateboard on a plane? The answer is yes. Fortunately, many airlines allow passengers to fly with e-boards but there are also some conditions and rules for doing so. Also, only a specific sort of skateboard is allowed to bring on a flight whereas the other ones are strictly prohibited to fly with. What are the rules for flying with e-boards? What’s the safest way to bring your electric board on a plane? and what type of e-boards are allowed to bring along? Keep reading the article to know!

What sort of e-boards you can bring on the plane?

It’s mainly the battery of an electric skateboard that’s behind all the safety risks. Therefore, all those e-boards that feature a Li-Ion battery of more than 160Wh are strictly banned by the airlines. It doesn’t matter how reliable the brand your skateboard belongs to, you won’t be allowed to carry it along with you during the flight.

However, considering the battery size of an average electric board, we noticed that 160Wh batteries are only installed into the small boards, with limited mile coverage. Therefore, most e-boards fail to qualify for air travel. The good thing is, that there are still some manufacturers who install small batteries on their e-boards (110-160Wh). So, you can go with those options. Besides this, some manufacturers also offer carry-on replacement batteries that are safe to fly with.

Whatever type of Li-Ion battery you are carrying, you have to keep it in your carry-on luggage. The idea behind this is to get to know about any explosion or fire breakout as soon as possible; a thing that’s possible only if you keep the batteries in your carry-on luggage, in the cabin. And don’t forget to confirm about your hoverboard from the airline since it doesn’t matter whether your board meets all the requirements to fly with you, the last words are only of the airlines. Remember that some airlines don’t allow e-boards with batteries bigger than 100Wh. In a nutshell, every airline has its range so you better confirm it directly to the officials.

What is the right way to fly with an electric skateboard?

So now you’ve learnt about the types of skateboards which you can bring on the plane and the rules associated with them, here’s the stepwise guide for what’s the right way of flying with your hoverboard. Keep in mind that this method is only for the electric boards having 160Wh or smaller Li-Ion batteries.

1. Get in touch with the airline

Even if an airline has no problem with the e-board, it still wants you to make it clear that you are carrying a device with a Li-Ion battery in it – whether it’s a laptop or a skateboard. Thus, for this, it’s recommended to either make a call or email regarding your declaration. During your conversation, also get confirmation about the battery size and if possible, try to print out the document, stating all the requirements so you won’t have to face any trouble a few minutes before boarding.

2. Detach batteries and check the board at the counter

Once arrived at the airport for the flight, detach the battery and put it into your carry-on luggage. Whereas, check your skateboard, without batteries on the ticket counter and let it go with other bags. However, if your skateboard has non-detachable batteries, you can take it with you in the carry-on but this facility is offered by only a few airlines.

How to fly with an e-board that has a bigger Li-Ion battery?

If your hoverboard features a bigger Li-Ion battery (having more than 160Wh capacity) then you are not legally allowed by the airport authorities and laws to fly over with it. However, there’s one solution! You can remove the batteries from the skateboard before hovering over the plane and take the skateboard with you, without any battery. As soon as you reach your destination, buy a new pair of batteries from there and enjoy.

And if there’s a warehouse of your skateboard brand, you can get a battery on a rental basis too. On the other hand, if you are using an e-board of a very famous brand, chances are you might find some other people in the city using the same skateboards. You can request batteries from them and return their batteries to them with a thank-you gift, at the end of your holiday.

And if you are willing to cruise over the streets of a newer city, without the battery power, get yourself a skateboard with the hub motor. Such sorts of electric skateboards can be used even without batteries, as regular skateboards. So, on coming back from the holidays, you can insert the batteries back into the board and start using it as an electric skateboard