What Is the Foil Drive Fusion?

Foil Drive has just released the Fusion. If you've been following our blog or YouTube channel, then you know that we love Foil Drive, so naturally we were stoked to get our hands on something new from them. We also realize that it can be a bit confusing keeping track of all the options they have now, so Ryan and Hunter are here to break down what this new offering from Foil Drive is about.

What Is the Fusion?

The short answer is that it's an eFoil alternative that can also be used as a foil assist, a "fusion" of the two disciplines. It mounts to your own board and mast (or you can get an integrated mast) just like the other Foil Drive units. It's more powerful and runs longer than the Max. That said, it may or may not be right for you, and we've done a comparison of the Fusion and the Max to call out the differences between the two and help you decide which one suits your riding style better.

What Are the Components of the Fusion?

Motor

The Fusion uses the HP (High Power) motor pod. If you already have one that you're using with the Max, then you can get just the Fusion base kit, battery and, if you're using an integrated mast, the Barnacle. (More on that in a bit.)

Cable

The Fusion uses the same cable setup as the Max, so if you are happy with your existing motor height, you can keep using it.

Barnacle

If you're using an integrated mast, then you may need to add this little guy to your setup. The motor cable connection on the Fusion sits a bit further back, so the section of cable coming out of the mast isn't quite long enough to reach on some models. The Barnacle bridges this gap. If you're not using an integrated mast, then you can either move your motor up a bit, or you can buy a longer cable since it's less expensive than the Barnacle.

Fusion Main Unit

As we hinted, the Fusion is longer than the Max, not only in the back, but the front as well. This is to create a balanced feel so you don't feel the weight as much, especially when you're pumping.

The Fusion's height remains the same as the Max, so if you invested in a trench board for your Max, the Fusion will still fit flush with the bottom of the board. However, if you've been running with your mast all the way forward, then it's going to sit a bit further back with the Fusion, so you'll need to decide if that's going to work for you.

Fusion Battery

The Fusion is longer thanks to its more powerful, longer-life battery. The Foil Drive team packed as many cells as it could into the space, meaning that the nose cone is now attached since it's actually part of the battery casing.

The battery is also slightly wider, so they had to swap to M7 hardware to get the bolts through the standard track spacing. These are included, but don't leave them at home, thinking you can just use the M8 bolts from your Max. The guys did that. It was a bummer driving back to the shop to get them, knowing they could have already been out testing the new Fusion.

The Fusion's battery is rated at 864 Watt hours. When you consider that even the HP battery for the Max is 594 Watt hours, that gives you a good idea just how much more power they packed into this new battery. The tradeoff is that the battery is heavier, but depending on how you're using the Fusion, that may not be a big deal.

Fusion Charger

Even if you already have a charger for the Max, you'll need to use the Fusion charger with the Fusion's battery because it's 43 volts instead of 40. The extra voltage allowed the team to produce a battery that offers more power.

Fusion V3 Remote

The remote got a couple upgrades for the Fusion. One of the first things you might notice is the trigger guard. That helps keep you from accidentally spinning up the motor, especially while you're walking it out, but it is removable if you feel like it gets in your way, such as when you're wearing thick gloves.

All the features of the V2 remote are still there, including trigger sensitive power, but you can also set the V3 to use "gears" instead, which are programmable. If you only like to use up to 60 percent power, you can set that as your high gear, with 4 lower gears leading up to that.

Instead of a thumb trigger and side power button, the V3 remote now has a plus, minus, and B button just below the screen, so it's a bit more intuitive to use. While you're riding, the B button is your boost. This is handy when you've set your max power to less than full power and find you need a boost to get up on foil.

The larger, brighter screen is another standout feature on the new remote. You now can track session stats like top speed, current speed, distance traveled, and session time. If you don't wear a watch in the water, you can use your remote to track how much longer until you need to get back to work. The remote also connects with the app to download your session stats, which is a great way to track all that info.

The screen also shows you stats like battery temp, motor RPMs, and current draw. If you love information, this remote will be a nice upgrade for you.

Fusion Case

The Fusion's case is a nice zippered soft shell case like we've seen with the Max and Slim, but it's deeper and narrower, which is a little easier to carry and stow in your car. All your components and spares fit in there, and it has comfortable carry handles that are long enough to slip onto your shoulder.

Controller Case

This soft shell case stores inside the larger case, but can be taken out. It stores not only the controller, but its charger, cable, spare trigger guard, and Allen tool to take the guard on and off. It's nice to be able to carry these things separately from the large case since you might want to charge your controller without hauling in the whole Fusion case or trying to juggle all the parts for your controller.

What Are Some New Features of the Fusion?

Tilt Sensor

When you fall, your instinct can be to clamp down on the trigger, especially for newer riders who aren't comfortable with falling. Now you've got a spinning prop as you enter the water, and then a runaway board. The Fusion has a tilt sensor, and you can set that to a higher or lower angle to shut off the motor automatically. When you're just learning, you'll want this to be more sensitive, and then you can allow more extreme angles as you progress and even shut this feature off entirely.

Anode

This small but important feature can help slow the corrosion of your gear. An anode, such as you find in hot water heaters, is a metal that is more attractive to corrosive elements in the water than the metals you want to protect. Of course, it's not a substitute for rinsing off your gear with clean, fresh water at the end of a session, but it's still helpful. Your kit includes a spare anode that you can swap out when the first becomes rusty (which means it's doing its job).

Tool Caddy

When you put your main unit away in the case, you'll remove the battery and slide the tool caddy inside it. It has room for your remote, tools, and hardware.

Battery Caddy

This slides onto your battery and gives you a handle to carry it more easily, which is handy for transporting it, and you can also charge your battery in it. It has a display showing your charge level, as well as a USB-A and USB-C port to let you charge other devices like your phone. You can use up your spare power to get the battery down to storage level this way, but the charger does includes a discharge feature.

How Does the Fusion Ride?

Waves

Hunter and Ryan both noticed the extra weight, but they were still able to pump around and connect waves more easily than they could on a traditional eFoil. Turns didn't feel much different than they did on the Max. The extra power and runtime were far more noticeable.

Flat Water

The long runtime and extra power make the Fusion a lot of fun in flat water. If you're learning to foil, the Fusion will make that process significantly easier than trying to learn unpowered.

Of course, its performance depends on pairing it with the right board and foil for the conditions, but that's part of what makes it so special. You have unlimited options when it comes to choosing what to ride with your Foil Drive.

Who Is the Fusion For?

The Fusion bridges the gap between foil assist and eFoil, so if you find yourself enjoying both, or want to share with friends or family, this is a great option.

It's also a good choice if you are just learning to foil and want to progress into the waves. It's got the runtime and power to cruise around while you're getting a feel for foiling, but it's not so heavy that you can't pump and carve with it as you advance. And of course being able to choose any gear to pair with it is a big plus.

If you know you want a Foil Drive but are trying to decide between the Fusion and the Max, we have a separate comparison of the Fusion and the Max that may help, or of course you can always reach out to us for a recommendation.

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