These are the most fun electric watercraft we tested this year
Here at Electrek we often get first dibs at testing some of the newest and most interesting electric watercraft in the industry. From electric boats to personal electric watercraft and everything in between, 2022 was a big year for anything electric that floats.
These are some of the coolest and most interesting electric watercraft we tested this year.
Candela C-8 flying electric boat
The Candela C-8 is a major improvement upon the C-7 that I tested last year.
I had the honor of visiting Candela’s production facilities in Stockholm to see how they manufacture these boats, which are bigger, sportier, and fancier than the C-7.
Both models use hydrofoils to lift the hull out of the water, but the C-8 makes it an even more impressive experience. The larger boat features a sun bed, more seating, and even a cabin that sleeps a family of four (as long as two of those four are small children).
The boat flies above the surface of the water with barely a whisper of a sound. Not only do you not hear any water smashing against the boat’s hull, but you can’t even hear the motors since they are completely submerged under the water.
That’s the beauty of the C-8’s C-POD technology, which combines a pair of counter-rotating electric motors in a single torpedo-shaped housing. The submerged design provides better cooling and allows Candela to pull more power out of the surprisingly small-sized motors. I can fit my hands around the motor casing and touch fingers on either side, yet together they create 50 kW of power that propel the boat up to 30 knots. And since the C-8 flies out of the water, the smaller batteries can keep it going for up to 50 nautical miles.
Being able to pilot (captain? drive? operate?) the C-8 was an eye-opening experience that showed me just how far electric boat technology has come.
You don’t need massive batteries and hundreds of kilowatts of motor power to build an electric speedboat with decent range. You just need to get it out of the water!
Awake’s high-speed electric surfboards
Electric boats are fun, but not everyone has hundreds of thousands of dollars or a trailer (or a truck to pull that trailer).
What if you want to keep a sporty electric watercraft in your closet and carry it to the shore in your trunk? That’s where electric surfboards come in.
And the beauty of it is you don’t even have to know how to surf!
I’m a novice but I took to Awake’s electric surfboards right away, quickly getting up on my feet and flying over the surface of the water. My wife joined me for the testing and had a bit of a harder time standing up on her first outing, though she still had a blast riding along like on a boogie board by laying down and zooming around.
These high-performance electric surfboards can reach speeds of around 37 mph (60 km/h), though I wasn’t going quite that fast. Fortunately they have multiple boards that are setup for everyone from beginners to professionals. As a beginner, I started on the RÄVIK 3 and quickly got the hang of accelerating and turning.
More experienced riders will get more performance out of the RÄVIK S, which has different contours to help it carve harder. The narrower board is also better for stunts and tricks, which I definitely wasn’t ready for.
I also tried the Vinga, which is a hydrofoil board. Unlike the Candela electric boats that use computer controlled hydrofoils to keep everything super steady, your brain is the only thing controlling the Vinga’s hydrofoil. I didn’t manage to stay up for more than a few seconds on my first time riding the Vinga, but I hope that if I can try again that I’ll eventually get the hang of it. Staying above the water on a hydrofoil is a very different feeling and apparently requires a different style of balance that I haven’t quite learned yet.
But despite the many wipeouts, I still had an amazing time on the boards. This is absolutely a great way to experience electric watercraft on a budget, at least compared to expensive electric boats. The boards aren’t cheap, starting at around €12,000 (or US $12,000), but that sure beats a several hundred-thousand-dollar electric boat’s price tag!
Outdoor Master Electric Sea Scooter
This one is quite different from first two electric watercraft I featured above. It’s also got a much different price class, coming in at just $299.
I took the sea scooter to a local reef with plenty of fish for a fun day under the water. With several species of local marine fauna to observe, scooting around under the water was a beautiful and eye-opening experience.
This is a less thrilling ride than the Candela C-8 electric boat or the Awake electric surfboards, since it isn’t nearly as fast or aggressive. You barely hit a solid 3 mph or so on the sea scooter, but that’s what it’s designed for. It’s not about an adrenaline-pumping ride, but rather a relaxed scoot around on the sea floor.
For as long as you can hold your breath, it will drag you around like an electric dolphin, showing you the wonders of the marine ecosystem around you. And since you don’t have to spend your energy paddling and swimming, you’ll get a lot more time down there out of each breath.
Taiga Orca electric jet ski
This wasn’t wasn’t actually my test ride, but our fearless leader and editor-in-chief Fred Lambert scored one of the first-ever tests on Taiga’s Orca personal electric watercraft. It looks like such a good time that it’d be a shame to leave it off the list!
Fred also had a chance to Test Taiga’s first electric snowmobile prototype all the way back in 2018. And now that they’ve brought their electric snowmobile to production, they’re going all in on leveraging much of the same technology for a personal electric watercraft.
With 120 kW of power and an estimated range of 45 km (28 miles), there’s a lot of fun to be had on one of these.
Fred was pretty blown away by the experience. As he described it:
Right after our ride, I told Sam Bruneau, the CEO, that I believe these things will sell themselves. All you need is a test ride.
They should appeal to both fans of existing jet skis who want to do away with the noise and gas and to electric vehicle fans who want all the same advantages that their EVs have but on the water.
I was so impressed that I am even considering changing my Taiga electric snowmobile reservation to the Orca.
Even more electric watercraft to come in 2023!
This was a great year for testing out new electric watercraft, but next year should be even better. Many of these companies are working on new models, plus they each have competitors nipping at their heels hoping to snatch up some of that sweet e-watersports marketshare.
Stay with us next year as we continue to cling to the bleeding edge of innovation for all types of electric vehicles!
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Believe it or not, you can lease an EV for under $200 a month. New deals on models like the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 are hard to pass up this month.
Electric vehicles have been all over the news lately, with the Trump administration threatening to end federal incentives and introducing new tariffs that are expected to lead to higher prices.
On the positive side, new EV models are arriving, giving buyers more options and driving prices down. Many automakers reported record US electric car sales in the first three months of 2024.
GM remained the number two seller of EVs behind Tesla after sales doubled in Q1 2025. With the new Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs rolling out, Chevy is now the fastest-growing EV brand in the US. Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is off to its best sales start since launching, with over 11,600 models sold in the first quarter.
With the 2025 models rolling out and about 15 new EVs arriving this year, many automakers are introducing steep discounts to move vehicles off the lot.
EVs for lease for under $200 a month in April
Although the decade-old Nissan LEAF remains one of the most affordable this April at just $149 per month, there are a few EVs under $200 right now that are worth taking a look at.
The new 2025 Hyundai IONIQ might be the best EV deal this month, with leases as low as $199. Hyundai is currently promoting a 24-month lease deal with $3,999 due at signing.
Hyundai upgraded the electric SUV with a bigger battery for more range (now up to 318 miles), a sleek new look inside and out, and it now comes with an NACS port so you can charge it at Tesla Superchargers.
The offer is for the IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range, which has a driving range of up to 245 miles. For just $229 a month, you can snag the SE RWD model, which has a range of up to 318 miles and a more powerful (225 horsepower) electric motor. It’s also a 24-month lease with $3,999 due at signing.
To sweeten the deal, Hyundai is offering a free ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 EV charger with the purchase or lease of any 2024 or 2025 IONIQ 5. If you already have one, you can opt for a $400 public charging credit.
After slashing lease prices this month, the 2025 Nissan Ariya is actually cheaper than the LEAF in some regions. In Southern California, the 2025 Nissan Ariya Evolve AWD is listed at just $129 per month. The AWD model has a range of up to 272 miles.
The deal is for 36 months, with $4,409 due at signing. In April, Nissan cut Ariya lease prices to around $239 in most other parts of the country.
Kia has a few EVs available to lease for under $200 a month in April. The 2025 Kia Niro EV Wind is listed at just $129 for 24 months, with $3,999 due at signing. Kia’s crossover SUV has EPA-estimated range of 253 miles.
The 2024 EV6 may be worth considering at just $179 for 24 months ($3,999 due at signing). In California, the EV6 Light Long Range RWD is only slightly more than the Niro Wind.
In most other parts of the country, you can still find the EV6 for under $200 a month. The Light Long Range RWD trim offers up to 310 miles of EPA-estimated range.
| Lease Price | Term (months) |
Amount Due at Signing | Driving Range | |
| 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range | $199 | 24 | $3,999 | 245 miles |
| 2024 Kia EV6 Light Long Rang RWD | $179 | 24 | $3,999 | 310 miles |
| 2024 Kia Niro EV Wind | $129 | 24 | $3,999 | 253 miles |
| 2025 Nissan Ariya Evolve AWD | $129 | 36 | $4,409 | 272 miles |
| 2025 Nissan LEAF S FWD | $149 | 36 | $2,629 | 149 miles |
| 2024 Fiat 500 INSPI(RED) | $199 | 24 | $2,999 | 149 miles |
And don’t forget the 2024 Fiat 500e, which is now listed at just $199 for 24 months with $2,999 due at signing. The electric hatchback offers a range of up to 149 miles.
If you are looking to spend a little more, check out our list of EVs you can lease for under $300 a month.
Ready to snag the savings while they are still here? At under $200 a month, some of these EV lease deals are hard to pass up right now. Check out our links below to find deals in your area.
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![The US’s first solar panels over canals pilot is now online [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/Project-Nexus-solar-canal.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Project Nexus, the first solar panel canopies over irrigation canals in the US, is now online in California, and there are plans to expand the project to other areas.
Project Nexus is a $20 million pilot in central California’s Turlock Irrigation District launched in October 2022. The project team is exploring solar over canal design, deployment, and co-benefits using canal infrastructure and the electrical grid.
India already has solar panels over canals, but Project Nexus is the first of its kind in the US.
The Turlock Irrigation District was the first irrigation district formed in California in 1887. It provides irrigation water to 4,700 growers who farm around 150,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley.
Project Nexus will explore whether the solar panels reduce water evaporation as a result of midday shade and wind mitigation, create improvements to water quality through reduced vegetative growth, reduce canal maintenance as a result of reduced vegetative growth, and, of course, generate renewable electricity.
The California Department of Water Resources, utility company Turlock Irrigation District, Marin County, California-based water and energy project developer Solar AquaGrid, and The University of California, Merced, are partnering on the pilot. Project Nexus originated from a 2021 research project led by UC Merced alumna and project scientist Brandi McKuin.
Solar panels were installed at two sites over both wide- and narrow-span sections of Turlock Irrigation District canals in Stanislaus County, in various orientations. The sections range from 20 feet wide to 100 feet wide. University of California, Merced has positioned research equipment at both sites to collect baseline data so the researchers can decide where solar will work and where it won’t.
In February 2023, Project Nexus announced it would also deploy long-term iron flow battery storage in the form of two ESS 75kW turnkey “Energy Warehouse” batteries.
You can learn more about Project Nexus here:
Read more: In a US first, California will pilot solar-panel canopies over canals
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