![First ride on the Flite eFoils: Easy to learn and outrageous 'flying' fun out on the water [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/Flite-eFoil-review.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
First ride on the Flite eFoils: Easy to learn and outrageous ‘flying’ fun out on the water [Video]
I have seen the future of sustainable water sports; my friends, it is good. I recently got the chance to take Flite’s lineup of eFoils out on the waters of South Carolina, and all I can say is, “What a feeling.” Watch me hydrofoil (and fall plenty) in the video below.
Flite began and still reigns as one of the pioneers in electric hydrofoils, or “eFoils” for short. In less than six years, the Australian eFoil developer has put its brand and the young new segment in electric water sports on the global map.
When you’re creating a new form of mobility, there’s plenty of room for innovation and improvement, something I’ve admired about Flite in the years I’ve been covering it. Its ever-growing portfolio of electric hydrofoils of varying sizes and levels of rider expertise has genuinely helped grow the segment since the debut of the original Fliteboard.
In the past year and a half alone, we saw Flite launch its Series 3 lineup of eFoils, including the ULTRA L, marketed as the “world’s lightest,” the more affordable Flite AIR, and even a Flite Scooter with removable handlebars that can help get people of all skill levels involved.
While I’ve covered much of Flite’s progress, I had never gotten the opportunity to experience the sensation of “flying” above the water’s surface until recently, when some experts with the company took me out in Charleston, South Carolina, to give it a go. Here are my thoughts.
Flite eFoil boards are fun as hell if you can afford one
On the morning of our rides, I found myself slightly nervous but overall excited to test out Flite’s lineup of eFoils. I had seen them ridden by others plenty of times and always wanted to experience the technology for myself. I just wasn’t sure how good I’d be since I had only surfed once in my life and truthfully didn’t enjoy it that much.
During a crash course on the dock before taking to the sea, I learned that the art of the Flite eFoil is nothing like surfing. In fact, it’s the opposite, as your weight distribution relies heavily on the front of the board to keep the nose down instead of the rear, like in surfing.
The instructors, who were extremely helpful and knowledgeable, by the way, explained that the stance and movements are more like snowboarding—an activity I’ve been doing since I was a kid. This was music to my ears.
After learning how to prime the throttle and get the all-electric motor running, I was in the water on the classic 100L carbon Fliteboard – the original that started it all that is one beginner level up from the previously mentioned Flite AIR eFoil.
From my very first ride, I almost immediately got to my knees, learning the nuances of balancing and steering. After less than a minute, my instructor, who also happened to be a decorated water sports champion, told me to stand up. I quickly got up and began foiling, and then I quickly got down, taking a dip.
It’s all part of the learning process, and I was equipped with plenty of protection. When falling, the trick is to really embrace the spill and leap as far away from the board as possible. That’s an art form in itself, and the water provides a nice soft spot to land. You can see some of my best spills in the video below.
There’s definitely a learning curve to eFoiling, but I was surprised at just how easy it was. You may recall I once tried an electric surfboard, and I admittedly couldn’t get up on the damn thing. Flite’s eFoil’s are much easier to familiarize yourself with, and once you get the hang of it, you may just be hooked.
After a couple of runs, I learned just how subtle your leans forward and backward have to be on the eFoil to “fly,” the sensation of floating above the water cannot be over-emphasized. It’s truly a feeling of weightlessness and joy, and the lack of noise from the electric motor allows you to take in the moment cutting through the water… until you get too cocky, wobble, and get humbly ejected.
The Flite instructors soon saw me doing my thing on the eFoil, soaring up and down with control and comfort while stalling in the air at points. Due to my early talents, the Flite team decided I was ready for a smaller, lighter eFoil, the Flite Pro. I took a second to hydrate on the land (foiling can be a workout when you’re new to it), then I was back to it.
For this one, I had to put much more weight on the front end to get it hydroplaning before I could hop to my knees and eventually stand up. On my first couple of attempts, I got yeeted pretty hard off the board but quickly bounced back for more and eventually tamed the stark white aquatic dragon.
Overall, I spent well over an hour on the water and had plenty of battery life left across the two Flite boards I tested. The company sells three Flitecell battery packs that can be swapped out, offering varying operating times between 45 minutes and two hours, depending on your size, weight, and eFoil.
Overall, I had an amazing time testing the eFoils from Flite and would recommend them to anyone as a fun and innovative new way to get around on the water. The Flite AIR is currently your most affordable option, but it still starts at $7,000, so it is not cheap. From there, prices can go well over $15,000 for the “Ultra” professional-level boards, but if you have the money for a yacht, this would be an excellent toy to bring aboard.
If you can’t afford a Flite eFoil, I recommend checking to see if there’s a Flite school near you where you can rent one and get hands-on training from professionals like I did. Hydrofoiling is an amazing sensation you’ve got to try, and I’m debating getting one for myself to cruise around Lake Michigan.
Who knows, maybe I’ll go pro. Hey, it could happen!
Want to see me eat salt water? Check out the full video of the Flite eFoil experience below:
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BYD’s cheapest EV in China just got even more affordable. After cutting prices this month, the BYD Seagull EV starts at just 56,800 yuan, or under $8,000.
BYD cuts Seagull EV price to under $8,000 in April
Despite an intensifying EV price war in China, BYD is cutting prices once again. The Chinese EV giant announced a new promotion this month across several Ocean Series models, including the Seagull.
The 2025 BYD Seagull EV is available starting at just 56,800 yuan ($7,800). The offer is for the non-Smart Driving Vitality Edition model, which usually starts at 69,800 yuan ($9,500).
After launching the new Seagull last year, BYD said the low-cost electric car officially opened “a new era of electricity being lower than oil.” Earlier this year, it upgraded most of its vehicles, including the Seagull, with its new “God’s Eye” smart driving system at no extra charge.
BYD’s Seagull is offered in three trims in China: Vitality, Freedom, and Flying. It has two battery options, 30.1 kWh or 38.9 kWh, which is good for the 305 km (190 mi) and 405 km (252 mi) CLTC range, respectively.
At just 3,780 mm long, 1,715 mm wide, and 1,540 mm tall, the Seagull is even smaller than the former Chevy Bolt EV (4,145 mm long, 1,765 mm wide, and 1,611 mm tall). It’s about the size of a Fiat 500e.
The price cut comes as BYD’s sales continue surging. With another 377,420 new energy vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) sold last month, the Chinese automaker has now sold over one million NEVs in 2025.
BYD’s EVs accounted for 416,388 while PHEV sales reached 569,710, an increase of 39% and 76% from last year, respectively.
| BYD Seagull EV trim | Starting Price | Range (CLTC) |
| Vitality | Normal: $9,500 (69,800 yuan) Now: $8,000 (56,800 yuan) |
190 mi (305 km) |
| Freedom | $10,300 (75,800 yuan) | 190 mi (305 km) |
| Flying | $11,700 (85,800 yuan) | 252 mi (405 km) |
Perhaps even more importantly, BYD sold over 206,000 vehicles overseas in 2025, more than doubling from last year. The Seagull EV is also sold in other global markets like Mexico and Brazil as the Dolphin Mini.
Later this year, it will launch in Europe as the Dolphin Surf, with expected prices starting under £20,000 ($26,000). Although it may not be the cheapest EV, BYD’s executive vice president, Stella Li, recently told Autocar it will be “the best value” when it arrives.
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Tesla has new Model Y inventory available today in the US, just days after opening orders for what is supposed to be its most popular model.
This proves that demand is terrible and Tesla is trying to hide it.
On Friday, Tesla launched the new non-Launch Edition Model Y in North America.
Prior to the launch, only a fully loaded $60,000 Launch Edition Model Y was available to order since January, and had been delivered since early March.
Now, North American buyers are able to buy a much cheaper version of the new Model Y for $49,000.
Only the Model Y Long Range AWD is available for now, but that’s Tesla’s most popular model in North America.
At the time, we noted that this is a great demand test for Tesla in the US amid some critical brand issues due to CEO Elon Musk.
We only have a few metrics to track the demand of the new Model Y in the US:
- Delivery timelines on new orders
- Available inventory
- Discounts/incentives
For most US zip codes tested by Electrek with different Model Y configurations (wheels and paint colors), Tesla quotes delivery within “1-3 weeks”.
But we also found several zip codes on both the West Coast and the East Coast where Tesla claims it can deliver the new vehicle “today”:
This would point to Tesla already having vehicles in inventory despite launching it just 4 days ago.
But Tesla is hiding the inventory.
If you search for Model Y in Tesla’s new inventory, you can’t find any in the US at the time of writing:
However, Tesla is showing some units in inventory to people configuring new Model Ys.
Some potential buyers are reporting that Tesla has a tab that pops up and directs them to some new inventory available (via TroyTeslike on Patreon):
This confirms that Tesla already has new non-Launch Edition Model Y in inventory available for sale in the US – pointing to Tesla having no backlog of demand for the new vehicle.
Electrek’s Take
This is much worse than I thought. I thought that Tesla would build a backlog of demand for the new Model Y in the US from people who didn’t want the fully loaded version, but it looks like that backlog lasted 4 days.
Of course, it’s all because of Tesla and Elon, and brand destruction.
Many people who invested in the stock market lost a lot of money over the last few weeks, and these people often happen to be people who buy new cars.
Now, the only thing left is for Tesla to start offering discounts and subsidies financing – the latter likely coming first, as it is already the case with new Model 3 orders in the US.
The good news for Tesla is that if Trump continues to crash the stock market, the Fed will likely have to reduce rates, making Tesla’s 0% financing cheaper to subsidize.
That’s a fun balancing act.
Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tesla offer incentives on the new Model Y in the US within the next 2 weeks – way ahead of schedule.
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The new and improved 2026 Kia EV9 and 2025 EV6 are eligible for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, but one trim is excluded.
Do the Kia EV6 and EV9 qualify for the federal tax credit?
Kia’s first dedicated electric vehicle, the EV6, received some pretty major upgrades for its mid-cycle update this year.
The 2025 EV6 features a bigger battery providing more range (now up to 319 miles), a stylish interior and exterior redesign, and an NACS port for charging at Tesla Superchargers.
Kia’s first three-row electric SUV, the EV9, also has a native NACS charging port and will be the first model year to offer a high-performance GT trim.
We got a good look at the EV9 GT at the LA Auto Show last year (check it out here). The sporty electric SUV boasts 501 hp, which is quite a bit more than the current GT-Line’s 379 hp. The added power is enough for the big-body SUV to move from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds.
Although Kia America’s vice president of sales, Eric Watson, confirmed the EV6 and EV9 are now in “full-scale production” at its plant in West Point, Georgia, not all trims will qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit.
According to CarsDirect, Kia told dealers that the 2025 EV6 and 2026 EV9 GT trims wouldn’t be eligible for the credit. A spokesperson said the exclusion is because Kia builds the EV6 GT and EV9 GT in South Korea, while all other trims are assembled in Georgia.
If Trump’s 25% tariff on South Korea is still in effect when the GT models launch in the US, it could create a significant price gap between trims.
Despite this, you will likely still be able to take advantage of the credit through leasing. Kia, like many, is passing the $7,500 on through lease cash, which can significantly cut monthly payments.
Kia will reveal more info, including prices, closer to launch. Check back soon. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
With the new models arriving soon, Kia is offering clearance pricing on outgoing models. Monthly leases start as low as $179. You can use our links below to find deals on the Kia EV6 and EV9 near you.
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