Electric skateboards are often overlooked in the broader micromobility ecosystem, but they’re tons of fun as both commuter EVs and recreational rides. The Tynee Mini 2 brings affordable electric shortboards to the masses, and is even more convenient than a bulky electric longboard.
I’ve always enjoyed electric longboards as a great way to cruise the city on a pint-sized electric vehicle that carries easily with me when I reach my destination.
But one thing that all electric longboards have in common is that they’re, well, looooong. It’s not quite like carrying a surfboard under your arm. But it’s also not that far from it either, especially when you’re in a crowded place.
Electric shortboards give you much of the same convenience of electric longboards, but with a shorter and lighter design that can be easily carried upright. The Tynee Mini 2 is a great example of that, and one that you can see in my testing video below. Then remember to keep reading for all the juicy details on this fun little board!
There are actually two different version of the Tynee Mini 2 board available. The standard version has a smaller battery (216 Wh), while the higher ranger version lets you ride for longer thanks to its bigger battery (363 Wh).
There are technically even four versions of the board, since there are also hub motor options available in both battery sizes. But I tested the belt drive board, so we’ll stick with that model for now.
The board has a number of cool features. Immediately I fell in love with the smart on/off feature for the board. You can use the remote to turn on the board instead of having to bend over and turn the board on and off yourself from underneath. Several boards have that feature these days, so it’s not groundbreaking, but I love it as a back-saving measure.
The remote is a typical pistol grip style like you’ll find from almost every board these days – nothing special to write home about there.
I like the concave deck and kicktail design. It’s already quite nimble with the shorter wheel base, at least more nimble than the longboards I’m used to riding. But the kicktail helps you make quick and easy turns at low speed by popping up the front wheels.
The board comes with an IPX6 waterproof rating, which means you could basically spray it down with a hose or ride through heavy rain, and you’d be fine. I don’t know why you’d ever want to do that, though. The only time I’ve ever wrecked on an electric skateboard has been from hitting a puddle, and I don’t ride when it’s wet anymore because of that.
A neat little brake light is integrated right into the rear trucks. Again, it’s one of those features that I’m not sure makes a huge difference when you use it as a brake light since no cars are looking for brake lights on skateboards, but you can also leave it on or set it to flash like a bicycle light. That’s a much better feature, in my opinion, so I’m glad to see it included.
In terms of power, I was surprised how much kick this little board has. Those two 850W motors put out a combined 1.7 kW of power. With belt drive, they’re quite torquey, too. That means good pick-up and good braking power.
I’m not normally a fan of belt drive because I always seem to have belt alignment issues, but I haven’t seen any issue yet on the Tynee Mini 2. The motors and belts are a bit louder than I’m used to on my hub motor boards, but that’s to be expected, of course.
The top speed of 30 mph (48 km/h) may be accurate, but I don’t really know. I rarely go faster than 25 mph myself because I just feel most comfortable in the 20-25 range. With a shortboard, that’s doubly true. They just don’t track as nicely as my longboards. But even getting it up to 25 or so, the board definitely felt like it wanted to keep going, so I suspect that anyone looking for speed will find it.
For a board that is priced between $500-$680 depending on the current sales, it’s hard to ask much more of it than this. The Tynee Mini 2 offers good power, more speed than I need, plenty of range in the larger battery version, and even has those cool features like built-in tail light and remote on/off for the board.
With a fairly smooth ride and a comfortable deck design, I’m quite happy with what you get for the price here. I still feel better on my longboards as they tend to cruise better, but it’s hard to deny the convenience of a lightweight and easy to carry electric shortboard like this.
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Fleet electrification expert Tony Nisam took to LinkedIn yesterday to post a deal that he ran across at a Washington State Costco that stacks a $25,500 manufacturer rebate with $3,000 in “regular” Costco Member Savings, $2,750 in “LIMITED-TIME” Manufacturer to Member Incentives, plus an additional $250 for Costco Executive members.
Do a bit of math (add up 25,500 + 3,000 + $2,750 + 250), and you’ll calculate an almost unheard of $31,500 discount on one of the best, most capable commercial vans on the market – ICE or electric. And that’s before you factor in the 0% interest financing (72 mo.) being advertised at Blade Chevrolet, the Mount Vernon, Washington, where VIN 2G58J2TY6S9104313 (the exact van shown, below) is shown as stock number 16757.
If you’re not a Costco member yet and you’re looking for a new truck for your business or even a unique #vanlife ride with zero emissions, modern tech, and a nationwide dealer network, GM makes that $130 Executive membership seem like a no-brainer.
Is a $39,000 price cut enough to get you to take a look at a new Brightdrop? At $45,235 (from a starting price of $84,235), can you afford not to? Head down to the comments and let us know.
Tesla has quietly removed the Cybertruck’s range extender from the options in its online configurator.
Does Tesla still plan to bring the product to market?
When Tesla unveiled the production version of the Cybertruck in late 2023, there were two main disappointments: the price and the range.
The tri-motor version, which was the most popular in reservation tallies, was supposed to have over 500 miles of range and start at $70,000.
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Tesla now sells the tri-motor Cybertruck for $100,000 and only has a range of 320 miles.
As for the dual-motor Cybertruck, it was supposed to cost $50,000 and have over 300 miles of range. The reality is that it starts at $80,000, and it has 325 miles of range.
However, Tesla had devised a solution to bring the range closer to what it originally announced: a separate battery pack that sits in the truck’s bed. Tesla called it a “range extender.” It costs $16,000 and takes up a third of the Cybertruck’s bed.
Even though the Cybertruck has been in production for a year and a half at this point, the range extender has yet to launch.
At the time, Tesla also reduced the range that the removable battery pack adds to the Cybertruck to “445+ miles” rather than “470+ miles” for the dual motor – a ~25-mile reduction in range.
Now, Tesla has removed the option from its online Cybertruck configurator. It used to take reservations for the range extender with a “$2,000 non-refundable deposit”, as seen on the image above, but now it’s not in the configurator at all at the time of writing.
It’s unclear if Tesla is not planning to launch the product anymore or if it is just pausing reservations.
In its specs page, Tesla still lists the achievable range of both versions of the Cybertruck with and without the range extender battery:
Electrek’s Take
I’m curious. Is it dead, or does Tesla just want to stop taking reservations for it?
At first, I was curious about the product even though I didn’t think it would make up for Tesla’s significant miss on Cybertruck specs.
However, after it was confirmed that it takes up 30% of your bed and that it needs to be installed and removed by Tesla at a service center, I think it’s pretty much dead on arrival at $16,000.
It’s going to be a product limited to only a few people at best. And now that’s if it makes it to market.
With the option being removed from the configurator, there’s no production timeline available. Again, the last one was “mid-2025”, which is soon.
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Portable power station specialist EcoFlow is kicking off its third annual Member’s Festival this month and is offering a unique new rewards program to those who become EcoFlow members. The 2025 EcoFlow Member’s Festival will offer savings of up to 65% for its participating customers, and a portion of those funds will be allocated toward rescue power solutions for communities around the globe through the company’s “Power for All” fund.
EcoFlow remains one of the industry leaders in portable power solutions and continues to trek forward in its vision to power a new tech-driven, eco-conscious future. Per its website:
Our mission from day one is to provide smart and eco-friendly energy solutions for individuals, families, and society at large. We are, were, and will continue to be a reliable and trusted energy companion for users around the world.
To achieve such goals, EcoFlow has continued to expand its portfolio of sustainable energy solutions to its community members, including portable power stations, solar generators, and mountable solar panels. While EcoFlow is doing plenty to support its growing customer base, it has expanded its reach by giving back to disaster-affected communities by helping bolster global disaster response efforts the best way it knows how– with portable power solutions.
Source: EcoFlow
EcoFlow and its members look to provide “Power for All”
Since 2023, EcoFlow has collaborated with organizations worldwide as part of its “Power for All” mission. This initiative aims to ensure access to reliable and timely power to disaster-affected communities across the globe, including rescue agencies, affected hospitals, and shelters, to support rescue and recovery efforts.
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This fund most recently provided aid for communities affected by the recent Los Angeles wildfires, assistance to the Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) in North Carolina following severe hurricanes, and support for non-profits engaged in hurricane preparedness in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Per Jodi Burns, CEO of the Special Forces Charitable Trust:
In the wake of devastating storms in Western North Carolina, reliable power was a critical need for the families we serve. Thanks to EcoFlow’s generous donation of generators, we were able to provide immediate relief, ensuring these families and their communities had access to power when they needed it most. We are so impressed with EcoFlow’s commitment to disaster response through their ‘Power for All’ program. It has made a tangible impact, and we are deeply grateful for their support and partnership in helping these families recover and rebuild.
In 2024, the US experienced 27 weather and climate events, each causing losses exceeding $1 billion, marking the second-highest annual total on record, according to National Centers for Environmental Information. The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters underscore the critical need for reliable and timely power solutions during emergencies, much like EcoFlow and its members are helping provide through the “Power For All” initiative.
To support new and existing EcoFlow members, the company is celebrating its third annual Member’s Festival throughout April to offer a do-not-miss discount on its products and donate a portion of all sales to the “Power for All” fund to provide rescue power to those in need in the future. Learn how it all works below.
Source: EcoFlow
Save big and give back during the 2025 Member’s Festival
As of April 1st, you can now sign up to become an EcoFlow member to participate in the company’s exclusive 2025 Member Festival.
As a member, you can earn “EcoFlow Power Points” by completing tasks like registration, referrals, and product purchases and tracking your individual efforts toward disaster preparedness and recovery.
Beginning April 4, EcoFlow members will also be able to take advantage of exclusive discounts of up to 65% off select portable power stations, including the DELTA Pro Ultra, DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 2 Max, DELTA 3 Plus, RIVER 3 Plus, and more. However, these sale prices only last through April 25, so you’ll want to move quickly!
Click here to learn more about EcoFlow’s “Power for All” campaign. To register for EcoFlow’s 2025 Member Festival in the US, visit the EcoFlow website. To register as a member in Canada, visit here.
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