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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Environment
Podcast: Xiaomi shocks with YU7, Tesla Robotaxi launch, Rivian brings back tank mode, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Xiaomi shocking the industry with YU7, Tesla’s Robotaxi launch, Rivian bringing back tank mode, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
Today, the episode is live at 12:15 a.m instead due to Fred’s travels in China and Seth’s in.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 12:15 a.m. ET (or the video after 1 a.m. ET):
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Solar provided over 10% of total US electrical generation in April, wind and solar produced almost one-quarter, and the mix of all renewable energy generated nearly a third, according to data just released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Solar set new records in April and the first third of 2025
EIA’s latest monthly “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through April 30, 2025), which was reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign, confirms that solar continues to be the fastest-growing source of US electricity.
In April alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar (>1 MW) increased by 39.3% while “estimated” small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar PV increased by 11.8%. Combined, they grew by 31.3% and provided 10.7% of US electrical output.
Utility-scale solar thermal and PV expanded by 42.4% while that from small-scale systems rose by 11.4% during the first third of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by 32.9% and was almost 7.7% of total US electrical generation for January-April, up from 6.1% a year earlier.
As a result, solar-generated electricity easily surpassed hydropower output, at 6.0%. In fact, solar is now producing more electricity than hydropower, biomass, and geothermal combined.
Wind is still the renewable energy leader
Wind turbines produced 12.6% of US electricity in the first four months of 2025. Their output was 5.9% greater than the year before.
In April alone, wind provided 13.9% of US electricity supply, essentially equal to the share provided by coal.
Wind and solar now outproduce coal and nuclear
During the first third of 2025, electrical generation by wind plus utility-scale and small-scale solar provided 20.3% of the US total, up from 18.5% during the first four months of 2024. In just the month of April, solar plus wind accounted for 24.6% of US electrical output.
During the first four months of this year, the combination of wind and solar provided 20.2% more electricity than did coal, and 13.8% more than US nuclear power plants. In April alone, the disparity increased significantly when solar + wind outproduced coal and nuclear power by 77.1% and 40.2%, respectively.
Renewables are closing in on natural gas
The mix of all renewables (wind and solar plus hydropower, biomass, and geothermal) produced 10.3% more electricity in January-April than they did a year ago (9.7% more in April alone) and provided 27.7% of total US electricity production compared to 26.3% 12 months earlier.
Electrical generation by the combination of all renewables in April alone reached a new record and provided 32.8% of total US electrical generation. Moreover, renewables are now approaching the share provided by natural gas (35.1%), whose electrical output actually dropped by 4.4% during the month.
For perspective, five years ago, in April 2020, the mix of renewables provided 24.4% of total electrical generation while natural gas accounted for 38.8%.
Consequently, the mix of renewables has further strengthened its position as the second largest source of electrical generation, behind only natural gas, with the gap closing rapidly.
Ken Bossong, the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director, noted:
Solar is now the fastest-growing major source of electricity and is generating more than hydropower, biomass, and geothermal combined, while wind plus solar provides more electricity than either coal or nuclear power, and the mix of all renewables is nearly matching the output of natural gas.
Yet, the Trump administration and the Republican Congress are seeking to pull the rug out from underneath renewables in favor of dirtier and more expensive fossil fuel and nuclear technologies. What are they thinking?
Read more: $15.5B in EV, renewable projects vanish as Senate eyes rollbacks
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![Here's a look at the Kia EV4 GT before you're supposed to see it [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/06/Kia-EV4-GT-US.jpeg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Kia’s upcoming EV4 GT is gunning for the Tesla Model 3 Performance, but it’s expected to undercut the price. Could this be the affordable electric sports car we’ve been waiting for? A new video shows the Kia EV4 GT driving on US streets ahead of its debut.
Kia EV4 GT is testing in the US ahead of its debut
After launching it in Korea in April, some are already calling Kia’s first electric sedan “a box office hit.” The EV4 was the best-selling domestic electric sedan in Korea in May, its second month on the market.
Kia’s electric sedan starts at just 41.92 million won, or around $30,000 in Korea. When it arrives in the US and Europe, the entry-level EV is expected to start at about $35,000 to $40,000 (€35,000).
With its sleek, fastback silhouette, the EV4 already looks like a sports car, making it an ideal candidate for a high-performance upgrade. All the EV4 needs is a little added power. Don’t worry, Kia plans to turn up the heat very soon.
We caught our first glimpse of the interior earlier this month after a prototype was spotted outside of a Kia facility in Korea.
A new video is giving us a closer look at the Kia EV4 GT being tested in the US for the first time. The video from the folks at KindelAuto reveals a few design elements you can expect to see, like Kia’s vertical LED headlights with its signature Star Map lighting.
Although it’s still covered, you can expect to see Kia’s new Tiger Face grille design, which aligns with its latest electric models, including the EV9 and EV3.
We will have to wait until closer to launch for final prices and specs, but like Kia’s other GT vehicles, the EV4 GT is expected to feature an AWD dual-motor powertrain.
It will sit under the EV6 GT, which boasts 576 hp, enabling a 0 to 60 mph sprint time of 3.4 seconds. Will the smaller EV4 GT top it? With recent advancements in battery and powertrain technology, it wouldn’t be a surprise.
Kia will launch the EV4 in the US later this year with an EPA-estimated driving range of up to 330 miles. Additionally, it will feature a built-in NACS port, allowing it to recharge at Tesla Superchargers. With the base model expected to start at around $35,000, the high-performance GT variant could cost around $50,000 to $55,000.
In comparison, the Tesla Model 3 Performance starts at $54,990 with an EPA-est range of 298 miles. It can also accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds.
Would you pick the Kia EV4 GT for around $50,000, or are you sticking with the Tesla Model 3 Performance? Got a better option in mind? Drop us a comment below.
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