Everyone has different needs and preferences for electric skateboards so I’ll list what I feel you should look into at this moment based on different use cases and budgets.
These are based on what I’ve tried or what I know from people I trust. I didn’t list the many brands and boards that I’m not familiar with. Also note the publish date of this post—I can’t time travel and review boards from the future.
Please be aware that I place very little value on raw power and care a lot more about things like design aesthetics, user experience, quality-of-life features, innovation, and affordability.
If you’re dipping your toes into electric skateboarding or just don’t want to spend too much, here are the brands with boards under $500 that I think you should look into (in alphabetical order).
If you frequently need to pick up your board such as to get on public transit, go in and out of classrooms, or walk up or down stairs, you’ll want something easy to carry. Here are what I’d use (in order of my personal preference for portability).
Exway Wave
Among portable boards, the Exway Wave is by far the most feature-rich. It comes with your choice of a 180Wh standard battery or a 99Wh travel battery, both of which are swappable in a few seconds without any tools. Headlights and a brakelight are built-in. For air travel, I don’t think any other electric skateboard comes close in practicality and convenience.
There’s nothing particularly special about the WowGo Mini 2 except that it’s quite good-looking for its price. (There are a lot of ugly short boards.) The Mini 2 is only available with hub motors but you can choose to have Cloudwheel Donuts for a less jarring ride.
The Tynee Mini 2 has an unusually high battery capacity (and therefore long range) in a small package, which is a big plus for many people. At 8 kg it’s one of the heavier shortboards, but not by much.
At 8 kg, the Exway X1 Max wouldn’t make it to this “Portable” list if it didn’t have its sleek unibody and balanced design. Most boards this size and weight have dual enclosures and tend to be front- and back-heavy, but the X1 Max has its weight more evenly distributed, making it easier to pick up and carry. It is also long enough to be pulled.
At just 7.4 kg, the Backfire Era 2 is quite light for an electric longboard by today’s standard. If you don’t feel like carrying it, it is long enough to be pulled with minimal effort.
Not too big and not too small, the longboard size electric skateboards are more carryable than heavier boards and take less effort to ride than shortboards. Here are my personal favorites from this category (in alphabetical order).
All-terrain electric skateboards, sometimes known as 2-in-1, are the do-it-all boards. Put on urethane wheels for longboard-like carving, or pneumatic tires for improved comfort and some off-road capability. Here are my recommendations (in order of my personal preference).
Exway Atlas Pro (and Atlas)
The Exway Atlas Pro is by far the most modular and advanced electric skateboard today without going DIY. No other production board supports an add-on battery pack that more than doubles the stock range, and no other board comes close to its ridiculously fast recharge capability. Even the base models in 2WD and 4WD offer great value for performance and features. In the few months that this board has been out, the board has already received a number of performance and feature upgrades via OTA firmware updates—another Exway specialty.
At first glance, the Onsra Black Carve 3 may look like a small update to the excellent Black Carve 2, but some of the changes are quite significant. The most notable difference is the new remote with its large 1.3″ display and excellent menu system that allows you to easily fine-tune the board’s performance. The unique take on TKP trucks is confidence-inspiring for both speed and carving. (Review video in production!)
The Tynee Explorer stands out for its exceptional ride comfort. Something about its deck dampens road vibrations and bumps unlike other flexible decks. The performance is customizable via its remote’s menu.
I am not very familiar with off-road boards, which differ from the “all-terrain” category in that these are much more capable of riding on uneven trails and grass. Here are three that I would look into if I were looking into off-road electric skateboards. I would actually prefer other types of PEVs for off-roading though.
Backfire’s budget-friendly unibody electric skateboard.
Highlights
Fairly lightweight by today’s standards (7.4 kg, 16.3 lb)
Relatively stealthy
Affordable at a time when prices are going up
Lowlights
Unnecessarily tall
Questionable aesthetics
Battery indicator quite inaccurate
Watch the full review. If you decide to get it, feel free to use referral code DKERA2 at checkout for a discount. Or get it on Amazon. Using the referral code and my referral links help support what I do.
Exway and I-Wonder (Cloudwheel) teamed up to create the Hydro wheels which make riding on wet roads safer than using the standard 85-90mm urethane wheels.
Please note that I do not recommend riding in rain or in any condition where water is likely to get inside the board as that’s a fire hazard. Splashes from wet roads and small puddles should be fine but make sure you have a board that is waterproofed well.
Highlights
Reduces the risk of hydroplaning
Unique design and aesthetically pleasing
Minimal effect on range and performance
Lowlights
Some may expect more comfort because of the rubber layer
Pricey
Watch the full review. These come standalone or with the Flex Pro and Flex ER. If you decide to get them with a board, feel free to use referral code DKWAN at checkout for a discount. Using the referral code also helps support the channel in making more reviews.
The WowGo Pioneers 4 and X4 are hub drive and belt drive versions of the same electric skateboard and an upgrade from WowGo’s 3 and 3X.
Highlights
Comfortable yet well-concaved flexy deck
Grippy wide urethane wheels
Upgraded specs from their well-made 3 and 3X
Lowlights
No unique selling point whatsoever
Watch the full review. If you decide to get it, feel free to use referral code DKWAN at checkout for a discount. Using the referral code also helps support the channel in making more reviews.
Acedeck is a newcomer (2022) to the e-skate scene and has already released three boards. Aleks and Chase Missing Tooth Parker reviewed the Nyz Z1 electric mountainboard.
I personally have no experience with this type of board at all so watch the above video for Aleks’ and CMTP’s take on it. They both have experience with DIY e-mountainboards.
If you decide to get it, feel free to use referral code DKALEKS at checkout for a discount. Using the referral code also helps support the channel in making more reviews.
Acedeck is a newcomer (2022) to the e-skate scene and has already released three boards. Aleks and Chase Missing Tooth Parker reviewed this board. Below are my own opinions.
Highlights
Pretty CNC-machined trucks
58.8V 14S system
Very big motors for those who prefer that
Big deck for those who prefer that
Lowlights
Even heavier than its heavy peers
More for straight-line performance than for carving
Watch the full review. If you decide to get it, feel free to use referral code DKALEKS at checkout for a discount. Using the referral code also helps support the channel in making more reviews.
The Mokwheel Mesa City is the second e-bike I’ve covered on my channel. Mokwheel has several e-bikes to choose from and I opted for the one that looks the most like a regular bicycle.
Highlights
Sporty look
Reasonable price for the specs
Very thorough website for help
Lowlights
Nothing in particular stands out
Larger than I expected (check size before buying)
Watch the full review. If you decide to get it, feel free to use my referral code DKWAN at checkout for a discount. Using my referral code also helps support me in making more reviews.
The Most High-Tech Electric Skateboard You Can Buy
Any electric skateboard brand can make a board that goes faster and farther every year by continuing to sacrifice a little more portability. Bigger motors. Bigger battery. Mission accomplished.
But! They’ve also added new features and updates that nobody else has, making this board desirable even for people like me who don’t usually ride large boards.
Let’s start off this review with the basics before we get into all the special features of this board that no other boards have.
NASA-themed limited edition Exway Atlas Pro.
The Basic Stuff
As far as I can tell, the Atlas Pro deck is the same as the original Atlas deck except for the increased coarseness of the grip tape. It continues to be a sleek, unibody, carbon fiber deck that’s 100cm long, and 25.5cm wide.
Atlas Pro Deck 100 × 25.5 cm 39 × 10 in Carbon Fiber Unibody
The concave is subtle enough to be comfortable, but also curves at the right places for additional leverage and to act as reference points for your feet.
Like most boards in this category, the deck has a slight drop and drop-through mounted trucks for additional stability.
Atlas Pro’s double kingpin trucks with fat stepped bushings.
The Atlas Pro continues to use Exway’s double kingpin Trist trucks, but with a hanger that is now 1 inch longer for increased stability.
Exway’s double kingpin trucks are much more stable than other double kingpin trucks because of its unique geometry, but they’ve gone a step further on the Atlas Pro by including two different sets of bushings.
Fat stepped bushings on the left, regular barrel bushings on the right.
One set is the same as the Atlas bushings: high rebound 92A barrels for carving. And the other is an oversized low rebound 95A set made for high speed stability. These resemble Venom Eliminators.
Atlas Pro Trucks Exway Trist Double Kingpin 10.5-inch
Atlas Pro Bushings Set 1/2 92A Barrels × 8 High Rebound Use Case: Low to Medium Speed Carving
Atlas Pro Bushings Set 2/2 95A Stepped Barrels × 4 95A Stepped Cones × 4 Low Rebound Use Case: High Speed Stability
If you’ll be using the AUXPack, which I’ll talk about later, you’ll also want to use these fat bushings.
Atlas Pro’s precision hub with a quick-release rim for a speedy tire change.
The stock all-terrain wheels continue to be 160mm in diameter, but the hubs have been upgraded to aluminum precision hubs with a quick release feature that makes changing tires way faster and easier.
Atlas Pro Wheels (Stock) 160 mm diameter 50 mm width Precision Hubs with Quick Release Use Case: All Purpose
Exway also sells 175mm knobby tires for off-roading, and soon they’ll release racing tires for those who are all about that lean.
Since this is belt drive and Exway has a bunch of different pulleys to choose from, you have a ton of different aftermarket wheels you can use with the Atlas Pro.
Atlas Pro’s belt drive system with built-in bash guards.
Exway has also just released a heavy-duty gear drive system using chromoly steel for the helical gears and thrust bearings to handle large amounts of axial forces. I’m not sure what I just said there but it sounds impressive. I’ll let you know more after I try it out.
Like Exway’s other boards, the different drivetrains for the Atlas Pro are interchangeable. You just swap them and choose the correct drivetrain in the ExSkate app.
Exway Atlas Pro mudguards doing a fine job controlling splashes.
If you’ll be splashing up water or rocks, or if you have ShredLights, the new Atlas Pro mudguards may be a good investment. They’ve been upgraded from the Atlas mudguards to be easier to install, and they are adjustable to fit tires up to 175mm.
Atlas Pro Battery (Internal) 701Wh 12S4P Lishen 21700 4000mAh
Compared to the original Atlas, the Atlas Pro’s internal battery has a 35% larger capacity at 701Wh.
There’s an optional external battery called the AUXPack that more than doubles the range. I’ll be talking about that and the range later in this video.
Atlas Pro Motors 53 × 40 mm Stator 63 × 70 mm Rotor 155Kv
Fun Fact
Motor size for electric skateboards are usually expressed as a 4- or 5-digit number with the first two digits representing the diameter of the rotor and the remaining digits the length. Example: “6370” for “60 mm diameter, 70 mm length.”
Listing the rotor size is de facto industry standard but the size of the stator is actually more meaningful. As far as I know, only Exway lists the stator size.
Each Atlas Pro motor is 26% larger in stator volume than the Atlas motor. And the two ESCs are now smaller and more powerful, with the peak output of the overall system compared to the Atlas increased by 75% for 2WD, and 133% for 4WD.
What does all that mean? It means this is one of the most powerful production boards in climbing hills, acceleration, and top speed.
Atlas Pro System Peak Power 2WD: 50.4V * 70A = 3528W 4WD: 50.4V * 140A = 7056W
Fun Fact
Except for Exway, electric skateboard brands almost never list the power that the board is able to send to the wheels. Instead, they show the power that the motors can handle in theory. This is like buying a bag of potato chips and being shown the size of the bag instead of how much chips you actually get.
To make things even more confusing, not all brands express motor power the same way. While two different brands may use the same exact motor, one may list it as 1500W and the other show it as 3000W.
This is why I don’t talk about motor power in my reviews anymore and I advise you to completely ignore that number when shopping for an electric skateboard. Intentional or not, it misleads customers.
Even with 175mm knobbies, stock 56T pulleys, and an incline, the Atlas Pro accelerates incredibly fast in full throttle.
This board goes up to 60 km/h (37 mph), which I don’t recommend that you try unless you’re a professional in a controlled environment.
Now that the basics are out of the way, let’s move on to the really interesting stuff. I’m going to talk about range, the AUXPack, the 1000W super fast charger, and new features coming for free via software updates.
The AUXPack attached to the Atlas Pro and charging a pair of ShredLights.
The Really Interesting Stuff
The AUXPack is a 1037Wh external battery pack that is used together with the Atlas Pro’s internal battery for a combined total of 1738Wh. That is nearly 2.5x the capacity of the internal battery.
AUXPack 1037Wh 12S6P Samsung 40T 21700 4000mAh Combined Capacity: 1738Wh Use Case: Ride really far! Sold Separately
It comes with a 25W USB-A port and a 100W USB-C PD port, but this isn’t just a portable power station attached to the board. The entire thing, from the mounting mechanism to the housing, is both deceptively simple and thoughtfully designed.
The replacement deck cover has a built-in port for plugging a 140A connector between the board and the AUXPack. The bottom of the AUXPack has rubber soles that match the shape of the deck’s concave and absorbs vibrations.
The AUXPack adds 1037Wh to the Atlas Pro’s 701Wh battery capacity.
The unit is held down securely by a ratcheting strap. The battery housing appears to be incredibly strong. There’s a display that shows the remaining power. And every single port has robust weather protection.
Let’s now talk about range with and without the AUXPack.
Range Tests
With my henchmen Max and Ian, we range tested two Atlas Pros at the same time.
One of them is in the most basic configuration: 2WD with stock wheels and just the internal battery. The other is 4WD with the knobby tires and mudguards, and with the AUXPack attached.
From left: Daniel (me), Max, and Ian.
With the stuff we were carrying, all three of us were roughly the same weight. Max was 86kg, Ian was 85, and I was 83. The weather was about 20ºC.
Range Test Conditions Max: 86 kg / 190 lb Ian: 85 kg / 187 lb Daniel: 83 kg / 183 lb Weather: 20ºC / 68ºF Terrain: Mostly Flat Tire Pressure: Normal Ride Style: Casual Note: Many variables affect range, far more than what I listed here.
Because the AUXPack gave the 4WD so much range, we ended up range testing the 2WD twice in the same day.
In the first test, from a full battery down to 10%, the 2WD got 32km according to the remote, and 31km according the GPS app on my phone.
After charging back to 100% – in only a half-hour, which I’ll talk more about later – we continued riding. This time we rode the 2WD down to 21%. According to the remote we traveled another 30km.
Again, just a reminder, we did not use up the entire battery. The first test was down to 10%, and the second was to 21%.
Max and I entering the strip mall for some grub.
We charged the board back to 100% for a second time – also in just a half-hour – and continued riding because the 4WD with the AUXPack still had a good amount of power left.
Atlas Pro 2WD Range Test 1 701Wh 160 mm Stock Wheels 100% to 10% 32.3 km / 20.1 mi on Remote 31.4 km / 19.5 mi on GPS App
Atlas Pro 2WD Range Test 2 701Wh 160 mm Stock Wheels 100% to 21% 30.4 km / 18.9 mi on Remote
Now let’s talk about the range with the AUXPack. Again, this was on the 4WD with knobby tires, so the board was consuming more power than the 2WD.
The AUXPack doubles as an uncomfortable seat for those with indiscriminate bums.
Unlike the 2WD, we rode the board down to 2% battery. According to the remote, we got 72km. And according to Ian’s GPS app, we got about 78km. Quite a big discrepancy there, but as long as there’s a good GPS signal, I’m more inclined to trust the GPS number.
Atlas Pro 4WD with AUXPack Range Test 1738Wh 175 mm Knobbies 100% to 2% 72.4 km / 45.0 mi on Remote 77.7 km / 48.3 mi on GPS App Note: Sometime after performing these range tests, I saw that Exway had released a firmware update to improve the accuracy of distance measurements.
Anyway, those were the numbers that we got. This was my first time in years riding more than 70km in a single day. And this was my first time riding more than 70km on a single charge.
Remember how I said we recharged the 2WD back to 100% within just a half-hour, twice in the same day? Let’s talk about that.
By the way, if this video has been informative so far, do me a favor and tap the like button.
The 1000W charger recharging the AUXPack and Atlas Pro at the same time.
1000W Super Fast Charger
During our range tests, when the 2WD Atlas Pro was down to about 10% battery, we happened to be next to a shopping center with some restaurants. The 4WD with the AUXPack still had plenty of power left for its range test, so we plugged in only the 2WD and used the 1000W charger.
Super Fast Charger 1000W 20A Sold Separately
Standard Charger 200W 4A Included
We ordered our noodles, and after 30 minutes I went to check on the board. The remote was showing 5 out of 5 bars on the battery indicator, which could mean anywhere from 80% to 100%, so I checked the ExSkate app for a more precise number.
The 1000W charger had fully recharged the Atlas Pro by the time we finished our noodles.
To my surprise, the app showed that the battery was at 100%. We had just barely finished our meal and the board was already good to go.
Since I did not check on the board before 30 minutes, I don’t actually know when it reached 100%. I also don’t know if 100% is actually 100%. These things may not be that accurate.
According Exway’s own website, the 1000W charger should recharge the Atlas Pro 50% in 30 minutes, not 100%. I’m not sure if they were being conservative or what but I’m just reporting my results.
On the Left is Ian’s Atlas Carbon with a DIY add-on battery made by Max.
From the restaurant to our next charging stop, we rode for another 30km – this time from 100% down to 21%, meaning we could have gone about 7km further under the same conditions.
So even if 100% isn’t actually 100%, it should be close just from the fact that we rode for another 30km using only about 80% of the battery.
We plugged in the board again to the super fast charger and ordered our beverages. 30 minutes flew by, I checked the ExSkate app, and the board was once again at 100%.
After taking a piss, finishing a drink, and replying to a few messages, the Atlas Pro was fully charged again.
For those of you new to electric skateboarding, let me try to explain how significant this is.
I’ve had a lot of electric skateboards, ranging from under 100Wh to over 1000Wh. Some of them have chargers, but I have never had a board recharge from empty to full in anywhere near just a half hour.
Let me put it another way. I have never had a board recharge for just 30 minutes, and then be able to ride for another 30 kilometers. This totally changes the experience and possibilities for long distance rides.
Exway’s DKP trucks can use a wider variety of bushings than other DKP trucks.
For those who say that this is bad for the battery compared to using a slower charger: well, yeah it is. But riding fast is technically also bad for the battery. Riding uphill, also bad for the battery. Gaining weight, also bad for the battery. It’s the price we pay for a better experience.
And being able to recharge this quickly and minimize downtime is an awesome experience!
Back at the studio, I recharged the AUXPack together with the internal battery using the 1000W charger. From 5% to 100%, it took 1 hour and 23 minutes. Again that was 100% according to the app. The charger was still charging, but I think it was just trickle charging at that point so I stopped timing.
For context, most boards seem to take around 3 to 4 hours to recharge with their stock chargers. Recharging 1700Wh in just an hour and a half is kind of mind-blowing.
Tank mode in the dirt.
Software Updates Incoming
A number of changes and new features are currently in beta and expected to be available around the end of the year. Anyone who already has an Atlas Pro or gets one in the future will receive these updates.
I’m going to quickly go through them just so you get an idea of what types of firmware updates you get.
Tank mode on smooth tiles, leaving skid marks in a perfect circle.
Tank Mode update
Tank Mode, also known as neutral steering, is being updated to be accessible by just double-clicking the button on the remote.
In the past, it required four clicks, which was kind of annoying. After the update, it’ll be just two clicks.
Cruise Control update
For the rider’s safety, Cruise Control used to be limited to 20 km/h. Based on customer feedback, Exway is bumping it up to 25 km/h.
Two clicks while the board is moving activates Cruise Control, two clicks while not moving activates Tank Mode.
The current method of switching between 4WD and 2WD is rather cumbersome.
New: 2WD ↔ 4WD Shortcut
Exway got a lot of feedback from 4WD customers saying that when they’re low on power, they like to switch to 2WD to conserve power.
This feature is being updated so that you can switch between 2WD and 4WD without restarting the board and without going into the menu system. It’ll just be four clicks on the remote.
So four clicks used to be Tank Mode. After the update, it’ll be to switch between 2WD and 4WD.
New: Parking Brake
There are times where you want to make a quick stop somewhere and you want to put your remote in your pocket. Normally you would turn off your remote first so that you don’t accidentally engage the throttle.
The new parking brake feature is similar. Just like turning off the remote, the throttle becomes disabled. The difference is that the brakes remain engaged, even when you put away the remote.
I took an Atlas Carbon up a hill in the San Francisco Bay Area.
New: Traction Control
Exway has been testing out traction control for the Atlas Pro. They’re doing this in three stages.
The first stage is to eliminate the loss of traction at the front drive wheels during hard acceleration from a full stop.
The second stage is to implement active traction control while riding. This is something you’ll be able to turn on or off.
And finally the third stage is to allow the user to customize the power ratio for the front and rear motors. For example, 40% front, 60% rear.
The original Atlas can sort of already do this but in a different way.
Again, I’m told that these updates are expected to be released around the end of the year.
It’s really more of a street board but yeah you can go off-road.
Who It’s For
The Atlas Pro is an amazing electric skateboard but no board is suitable for everyone.
If you’re looking for something powerful, this is one of the most powerful boards you can get right now, especially for the price.
We’ve gotten to a point where electric skateboards are way more powerful than what most people would ever need. I think only a small percentage of people will take advantage of the full power of this board, and that doesn’t include myself.
Full throttle on this thing scares me.
If you’re looking for something long range without getting the AUXPack, there are more than a few options you can choose from. The Atlas Pro’s 701Wh is a pretty modest battery capacity for the current generation of all-terrain boards.
If you do get the AUXPack, then you’ll have way more range than all of the Atlas Pro’s direct competitors. And because the AUXPack is an add-on battery, you can choose to attach it only when you need it.
Atlas Pro Weight 2WD 15 kg / 33 lb 4WD 17.7 kg / 39 lb AUXPack 10.5 kg / 23 lb
If you’re looking for something lightweight and portable, this board is absolutely not for you. The board is 15kg in 2WD, 17.7kg in 4WD, and the AUXPack by itself adds another 10.5kg. Tank Mode has become really handy on this board.
This is one of the most polished looking electric skateboards.
Finally, if you’re looking for an electric skateboard that is a modern tech product and more than just a motorized skateboard, without pouring a lot of time and money into DIY, the Atlas Pro is the most advanced electric skateboard I can think of.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned in another video, the Exway Wave is my favorite electric skateboard. For my use cases, its portability and features make it the most practical board for myself, despite its relatively low power and range.
The Exway Atlas Pro is pretty much the opposite of the Exway Wave. It is incredibly powerful, it goes way faster than I’ll ever ride without a complete suit of armor, and by my standard it is really heavy.
Atlas Pro with the AUXPack is a hulking board but it sure goes far.
So I’m actually glad that the Atlas Pro does not use the biggest motors or have the biggest internal battery because those things would just increase the weight even more. What the Atlas Pro has instead is the most advanced tech and features that I actually care about.
I’m rarely ever going to need more than 700Wh, but once in a while I might. Maybe it’s time for another road trip. No other board I know of has an add-on battery capability built-in.
I don’t know of any other board that can handle 20A charging.
A major pain point in group rides is the recharge time and the 1000W charger solves that. No other production board I know of can even handle such a powerful charger.
Even though all-terrain boards as a category isn’t my preferred type of board, the feature set of the Atlas Pro I think is quite remarkable and makes me actually want to go on a long distance ride. I hope the e-skate industry as a whole starts designing more practical solutions like these instead of continually making boards bigger and heavier.
New possibilities.
The e-skate market is tiny and there are so many other aspects of electric skateboards that can be improved to make them more desirable for the general consumer.
Anyway, I gotta wrap this up. If you have any questions, leave a comment. If this video has been informative, please hit the like button.
If you want to get this board, please go to dkwan.com/exway and use my referral code DKWAN at checkout.
Watch the review above. TLDR: industry-leading battery capacity for the street board category and very powerful. The control feel is too jerky for many people, including myself, and could use refinement.
If you’d like to get the Meepo Voyager, please use this referral link for a discount at checkout and help out my channel. Thanks!
I did not start out loving electric shortboards but over the past couple years, the Exway Wave totally changed my mind. Because it’s so convenient, and it can be taken on a plane, it became the board I use the most often.
The limited edition Wave NASA is like the standard Wave but with ambient lighting, really nice looking precision trucks, and Apollo 15-themed graphics. Looks awesome. Love it.
If you’d like to get the Wave NASA, use my referral discount code DKWAN at checkout at Exway’s website. There will only be 199 units worldwide. You can also get the standard Wave at Exway’s website and on Amazon.
