Sublue Vapor electric seascooter review: Silently cruises above and below the water
I’ve always enjoyed electric watersports devices, and have a long history with everything from electric surfboards to electric boats. But it’s the category of electric sea scooters that likely offers the most accessiblity to the average person, providing fast and fun water excitement without the larger upfront cost and complexity of larger vessels. The Sublue Vapor is the latest in a string of electric sea scooters I’ve tested over the years, and it’s the fanciest one yet.
Of course, fancy features come with higher prices, which are already higher than you’d expect, thanks to the law of nature where anything marine-related costs significantly more than it should.
This sucker is no different, carrying an exorbitant price tag of $2,799.
Sure, there’s some important waterproofing going on here, necessitated by the device’s ability to operate at depths down to an impressive 40 meters (131 feet). But that’s still a lot of cash.
Despite the 40 meter rating, I was testing this on a Florida beach and I couldn’t get much more than a meter or two before I ran into sand. However, the Sublue Vapor is just as much fun on the surface, towing you (or your nephews, who helped me test it out) across the surface of the water at speeds of up 10 km/h (6 mph).
The impeller and nozzle work together to output some serious force, as I discovered the first time I pulled the throttle trigger while standing in waist-height water and holding the device directly in front of me. You only do that once, at least if you’re a male.
The better way to get started is laying out in a swimming position and then engaging the throttle to rocket forwards.
That also puts you in the best position to begin steering right away.
The Vapor uses a 385 Wh battery stored inside the nose, which can easily be swapped out for a second battery. There’s even room for two batteries in the carrying case, which is quite nicely designed.
I felt like I was walking onto the beach with a nuclear football, and opening the foam briefcase up didn’t immediately change that picture.
Speaking of the battery, I found that a single battery lasts a bit less than the 60 minutes they claim, though we were mostly keeping it in the highest of the three power levels to take advantage of the 21 kg (46 lb) of thrust in high power mode. If you’re using lower power modes, you can likely make it to the full 60-minute run time.
It was really hard to capture any good photos of the screen for some reason, perhaps due to a coating on the display, but it actually does show up quite vibrantly in the water.
It’s a bright, well-lit display and easy to read even while twisting and turning underneath the waves.
As you can see from the marketing image below, a big part of the hard sell here appears to be in the form of “keep a couple of these on your yacht!”, which makes sense to me. If you’ve got yacht money, you can definitely afford the fun shenanigans that come with a sea scooter (and you’re likely out in some deeper water to enjoy exploring even further down).
If any of you have seen my electric boat, you’ll know this is not something I’d likely be buying for my own vessel (especially since it costs over twice what my boat costs!).
When it comes to controlling the device, it doesn’t take very much athletic ability at all to use the Sublue Vapor. That helps overcome the higher barriers to entry with electric surfboards and other electric watersports.
As long as you can hold on to the handles and pull the trigger to start the motor, you’ll pretty much be able to get the hang of it. There is some arm strength and core strength involved in steering the device, especially if you want to get more acrobatic at higher speeds, but low speed is quite gentle and won’t require much strength from the user. My five-year-old niece gave it a try and ended up with a faceful of waterjet (don’t worry, she’s a trooper), so there may be a minimum age at which this device is advisable. She’s fine on our lower-power sea scooters, but this one is more of a beast.
All told, the Sublue Vapor is an impressively powerful, nicely designed electric water scooter that would be great for diving, snorkeling, or just playing around at the beach. This is way more than a pool toy, but it also carries an ‘open water’ price.
It’s definitely priced out of the general recreation ballpark, but if you’ve got boat money, you’ve probably got high power electric seascooter money too. And hey, it’s a lot more portable than a jet ski!
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Environment
EcoFlow members can save up to 65% on power stations while supporting disaster relief during the 2025 Member’s Festival
Portable power station specialist EcoFlow is kicking off its third annual Member’s Festival this month and is offering a unique new rewards program to those who become EcoFlow members. The 2025 EcoFlow Member’s Festival will offer savings of up to 65% for its participating customers, and a portion of those funds will be allocated toward rescue power solutions for communities around the globe through the company’s “Power for All” fund.
EcoFlow remains one of the industry leaders in portable power solutions and continues to trek forward in its vision to power a new tech-driven, eco-conscious future. Per its website:
Our mission from day one is to provide smart and eco-friendly energy solutions for individuals, families, and society at large. We are, were, and will continue to be a reliable and trusted energy companion for users around the world.
To achieve such goals, EcoFlow has continued to expand its portfolio of sustainable energy solutions to its community members, including portable power stations, solar generators, and mountable solar panels. While EcoFlow is doing plenty to support its growing customer base, it has expanded its reach by giving back to disaster-affected communities by helping bolster global disaster response efforts the best way it knows how– with portable power solutions.
EcoFlow and its members look to provide “Power for All”
Since 2023, EcoFlow has collaborated with organizations worldwide as part of its “Power for All” mission. This initiative aims to ensure access to reliable and timely power to disaster-affected communities across the globe, including rescue agencies, affected hospitals, and shelters, to support rescue and recovery efforts.
This fund most recently provided aid for communities affected by the recent Los Angeles wildfires, assistance to the Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) in North Carolina following severe hurricanes, and support for non-profits engaged in hurricane preparedness in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Per Jodi Burns, CEO of the Special Forces Charitable Trust:
In the wake of devastating storms in Western North Carolina, reliable power was a critical need for the families we serve. Thanks to EcoFlow’s generous donation of generators, we were able to provide immediate relief, ensuring these families and their communities had access to power when they needed it most. We are so impressed with EcoFlow’s commitment to disaster response through their ‘Power for All’ program. It has made a tangible impact, and we are deeply grateful for their support and partnership in helping these families recover and rebuild.
In 2024, the US experienced 27 weather and climate events, each causing losses exceeding $1 billion, marking the second-highest annual total on record, according to National Centers for Environmental Information. The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters underscore the critical need for reliable and timely power solutions during emergencies, much like EcoFlow and its members are helping provide through the “Power For All” initiative.
To support new and existing EcoFlow members, the company is celebrating its third annual Member’s Festival throughout April to offer a do-not-miss discount on its products and donate a portion of all sales to the “Power for All” fund to provide rescue power to those in need in the future. Learn how it all works below.
Save big and give back during the 2025 Member’s Festival
As of April 1st, you can now sign up to become an EcoFlow member to participate in the company’s exclusive 2025 Member Festival.
As a member, you can earn “EcoFlow Power Points” by completing tasks like registration, referrals, and product purchases and tracking your individual efforts toward disaster preparedness and recovery.
Beginning April 4, EcoFlow members will also be able to take advantage of exclusive discounts of up to 65% off select portable power stations, including the DELTA Pro Ultra, DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 2 Max, DELTA 3 Plus, RIVER 3 Plus, and more. However, these sale prices only last through April 25, so you’ll want to move quickly!
Click here to learn more about EcoFlow’s “Power for All” campaign. To register for EcoFlow’s 2025 Member Festival in the US, visit the EcoFlow website. To register as a member in Canada, visit here.
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Tesla is losing another top talent: its long-time head of software, David Lau, has reportedly told co-workers that he is exiting the automaker.
Tesla changed how the entire auto industry looks at software.
Before Tesla, it was an afterthought; user interfaces were rudimentary, and you had to go to a dealership to get a software update on your systems.
When Tesla launched the Model S in 2012, it all changed. Your car would get better through software updates like your phone, the large center display was responsive with a UI that actually made sense and was closer to an iPad experience than a car.
Tesla also integrated its software into its retail experience, service, and manufacturing.
David Lau deserves a lot of the credit for that.
He joined Tesla in 2012 as a senior manager of firmware engineering and quickly rose through the ranks. By 2014, he was promoted to director of firmware engineering and system integration, and in 2017, he became Vice President of software.
Lau listed the responsibilities of his team on his LinkedIn:
- Vehicle Software:
- Firmware for the powertrain, traction/stability control, HV electronics, battery management, and body control systems
- UI software and underlying Embedded Linux platforms
- Navigation and routing
- iOS and Android Mobile apps
- Distributed Systems:
- Server-side software and infrastructure that provides telemetry, diagnostics, over-the-air updates, and configuration/lifecycle management
- Data engineering and analytics platforms that power technical and business insights for an increasingly diverse set of customers across the company
- Diagnostic tools and fleet management, Manufacturing and Automation:
- Automation controls (PLC, robot)
- Server-side manufacturing execution systems that power all of Tesla’s production operations
- Product Security and Red Team for software, services, and systems across Tesla
Bloomberg reported today that Lau told his team he is leaving Tesla. The report didn’t include reasons for his stepping down.
Electrek’s Take
Twelve years at any company is a great run. At Tesla, it’s heroic. Congrats, David, on a great run. You undoubtedly had a significant impact on Tesla and software advancements in the broader auto industry.
He is another significant loss for Tesla, which has been losing a lot of top talent following a big wave of layoffs around this time last year.
I wonder who will take over. Michael Rizkalla, senior director of software engineering and vehicle firmware, is one of the most senior software engineers after Lau. He has been at Tesla for 7 years, and Tesla likes to promote within rather than hire outsiders.
There are also a lot of senior software execs working on AI at Tesla. Musk has been favoring them lately and he could fold Lau’s responsibilities under them.
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Kia’s electric SUVs are taking over. The EV3 is the best-selling retail EV in the UK this year, giving Kia its strongest sales start since it arrived 34 years ago. And it’s not just in the UK. Kia just had its best first quarter globally since it started selling cars in 1962.
Kia EV3 is the best-selling EV in the UK through March
In March, Kia sold a record nearly 20,000 vehicles in the UK, making it the fourth best-selling brand. It was also the second top-seller of electrified vehicles (EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs), accounting for over 55% of sales.
The EV3 remained the best-selling retail EV in the UK last month. Including the EV6, three-row EV9, and Niro EV, electric vehicles represented 21% of Kia’s UK sales in March.
Kia said the EV3 “started with a bang” in January, darting out as the UK’s most popular EV in retail sales. Through March, Kia’s electric SUV has held on to the crown. With the EV3 rolling out, Kia sold over 7,000 electric cars through March, nearly 50% more than in Q1 2024.
The EV3 was the best-selling retail EV in the UK in the first quarter and the fourth best-selling EV overall, including commercial vehicles.
Starting at £33,005 ($42,500), Kia said it’s the “brand’s most affordable EV yet.” It’s available with two battery packs, 58.3 kWh or 81.48 kWh, good for 430 km (270 miles) and 599 km (375 miles) of WLTP range, respectively.
With new EVs on the way, this could be just the start. Kia is launching several new EVs in the UK this year, including the EV4 sedan (and hatchback) and EV5 SUV. It also confirmed that the first PV5 electric vans will be delivered to customers by the end of the year.
Electrek’s Take
Globally, Kia sold a record 772,351 vehicles in the first quarter, its best since it started selling cars in 1962. With the new EV4, the brand’s first electric sedan and hatchback, launching this year, Kia looks to build on its momentum in 2025.
Kia has also made it very clear that it wants to be a global leader in the electric van market with its new Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) business, starting with the PV5 later this year.
Earlier today, we learned Kia’s midsize electric SUV, the EV5, is the fourth best-selling EV in Australia through March, outselling every BYD vehicle (at least for now). The EV5 is rolling out to new markets this year, including Canada, the UK, South Korea, and Mexico. However, it will not arrive in the US.
For those in the US, there are still a few Kia EVs to look forward to. Kia is launching the EV4 globally, including in the US, later this year. Although no date has been set, Kia confirmed the EV3 is also coming. It’s expected to arrive in mid-2026.
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