Electric propulsion specialist Pure Watercraft has officially shared the final design of its Pure Pontoon Boat – the company’s first vessel designed in house. Powered by EV batteries provided by minority stakeholder GM, this first crack at an electric pontoon boat could appeal to many consumers interested in quiet cruises without emissions.
Pure Watercraft’s roots date back to 2011 in Seattle when the company was founded. Beginning with electric outboard motors, Pure found success developing and selling electric boat packages that could steer a bass fishing boat, pontoon, or coaching launch toward zero emissions nautical travel.
Things really got interesting in November of 2021, when General Motors acquired a 25% ownership stake in the company, who hadn’t produced a boat of its own at the time. Two months later at CES, Pure Watercraft un veiled the Pure Pontoon Boat – an affordable luxury electric barge with seating for ten, a top speed around 23 mph and two motor configurations powered by batteries from GM.
Pure has been accepting pre-orders since that original debut, but we’ve only seen electric pontoon boat prototypes up until this point. Today however, Pure has unveiled a production-intent design that is damn close to what customers will see from a design perspective, and spot on on the performance side. Have a gander.
Credit: Pure Watercraft
GM batteries can propel the Pure electric pontoon 40 miles
We got a video tour of the electric pontoon boat before its officially unveiling to the public today, and its design and level of performance feels like a perfect fit for long, leisurely cruises on the water. As you can see from the featured image above, Pure has implemented knife shaved hulls rather than the traditional round, scuba tank looking hulls of the past.
The hulls are complimented by a rear hydrofoil that drafts off their limited wake, adding lift and speed to the overall ride and creating what Pure described to me as a wakeless launch. As previously advertised, the pontoon boat can be propelled by either single or dual 25 kW Pure electric motors, delivering a top speed around 25-26 mph with passengers aboard.
The motors are powered by a 66 kWh pack consisting of the same BEV2 GM batteries used in the soon-to-be-defunct Chevy Bolt. As shown by Pure Watercraft in the diagram above, an easy cruise with friends on the lake can deliver over 40 miles of range and at least seven hours out on the water.
The boat uses a standard J1772 plug and can accommodate any typical power source, charging up to 11 kW on a Level 2 charger (240V). The boat also supports DC fast charging.
Customers will be able to track the battery life, efficiency, and charging progress from a unique integrated screen located directly on the throttle. It also visualizes the tilt and trim of the motors in real-time, offering a handy, holistic display from the helm that can also pair with your phone.
The Pure electric pontoons boats will be built at an 80,000 square-foot production facility in Beech Bottom, West Virginia – where it intends to invest at least $5 million and create over 100 jobs over the next two years. Pure CEO Andy Rebele spoke:
We’re thrilled to introduce the Pure Pontoon Boat to the market. Our team has worked tirelessly to create a high-performance, environmentally friendly boat. The Pure Pontoon is the ideal way to connect with family and friends, and with nature in a way that hasn’t been possible before. We believe the Pure Pontoon Boat will appeal to a wide range of people who love the water. The Pure Pontoon will change the way people think about pontoon boating
Pure’s first in-house design boat is available for pre-order now for $100 down. Price-wise, the electric pontoon boat starts at $75,000 for the single-motor version, and $95,000 for the twin-motors.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
While much of the Western world is still figuring out how to get more people on electric bikes, China just flipped a switch, and the results are staggering. Thanks to a generous nationwide trade-in program rolled out around six months ago, China has seen an explosive surge in electric bicycle sales, with over 8.47 million new e-bikes hitting the road in the first half of 2025 alone.
The program, which offers subsidies to riders who trade in their old, often outdated electric bikes for newer, safer, and more efficient models, has sparked a new e-bike sale boom in a country already dominated by e-bike travel. In major provinces like Jiangsu, Hebei, and Zhejiang, over one million new e-bikes were sold in each region in just six months. That’s a tidal wave of e-bike sales.
The incentives vary depending on location and the model being traded in, but for many consumers, the subsidies cover a substantial portion of a new e-bike’s price – enough to turn a “maybe next year” purchase into a “right now” upgrade. And these aren’t just budget bikes either. The program has driven demand for higher-quality models with better batteries, safer braking systems, and more reliable electronics, accelerating both adoption and innovation across the industry.
The move has proven successful in replacing the millions of older models with lower-quality lithium-ion batteries that had posed safety risks around the country. Instead, China has pushed for higher-quality lithium-ion batteries, a return to a newer generation of higher-performance AGM batteries, and even interesting new sodium-ion battery options.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
Most e-bikes in China look more like what we’d consider seated scooters
According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, more than 8.4 million consumers have participated in the e-bike trade-in program so far, contributing to a sales increase of 643.5% year-over-year and more than doubling sales month-over-month. Meanwhile, production of new electric bicycles rose by nearly 28%, as manufacturers scrambled to meet demand. The sales boosts have already been seen in the financial reports of major industry players like NIU.
And it’s not just the big players benefiting – over 82,000 small independent e-bike dealers reported average sales increases of ¥302,000 (around US $42,000), giving a serious boost to local economies.
What’s particularly striking here is how fast this happened. The program was officially launched late last year as part of a broader effort to stimulate domestic consumption and phase out outdated vehicles and appliances. But while most analysts expected gradual growth, the e-bike sector responded much more quickly. In less than a year, the trade-in subsidies have reshaped the electric bicycle market, creating a consumer-driven boom that shows no signs of slowing.
For those of us watching from outside China, it’s hard not to wonder what might happen if other countries tried something similar. While most families in Chinese cities already own an electric bike and thus see this as an opportunity to trade it in for a newer model, Western countries like the US are still figuring out how to stimulate commuters into buying their first e-bike.
It’s too soon to know exactly how long the boom will last or whether the momentum will carry into 2026 and beyond. We’ve seen bicycle industry bubbles grow and burst before. But one thing’s clear: with the right incentives, even modest ones, it’s possible to ignite real, large-scale change. China just proved it with nearly 8.5 million new e-bikes to show for it.
And if you’re wondering what it looks like when a country takes electric micromobility seriously, this is it.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Today was the official start of racing at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025! There was a tremendous energy (and heat) on the ground at NCM Motorsports Park as nearly a dozen teams took to the track. Currently, as of writing, Stanford is ranked #1 in the SOV (Single-Occupant Vehicle) class with 68 registered laps. However, the fastest lap so far belongs to UC Berkeley, which clocked a 4:45 on the 3.15-mile track. That’s an average speed of just under 40 mph on nothing but solar energy. Not bad!
In the MOV (Multi-Occupant Vehicle) class, Polytechnique Montréal is narrowly ahead of Appalachian State by just 4 laps. At last year’s formula sun race, Polytechnique Montréal took first place overall in this class, and the team hopes to repeat that success. It’s still too early for prediction though, and anything can happen between now and the final day of racing on Saturday.
Congrats to the teams that made it on track today. We look forward to seeing even more out there tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some shots from today via the event’s wonderful photographer Cora Kennedy.
You’re reading Electrek— experts who break news about Tesla, electric vehicles, and green energy, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow Electrek on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our YouTube channel for the latest reviews.
The numbers are in and they are all bad for Tesla fans – the company sold just 5,000 Cybertruck models in Q4 of 2025, and built some 30% more “other” vehicles than it delivered. It just gets worse and worse, on today’s tension-building episode of Quick Charge!
We’ve also got day 1 coverage of the 2025 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix, reports that the Tesla Optimus program is in chaos after its chief engineer jumps ship, and a look ahead at the fresh new Hyundai IONIQ 2 set to bow early next year, thanks to some battery specs from the Kia EV2.
New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
Got news? Let us know! Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.