I got a $1,000 electric boat from China two years ago. Here’s what it looks like now
My regular readers may remember that two years ago, I was winning so hard at life that I bought myself a brand-spankin’ new boat as a treat. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still on an independent journalist’s salary here though, so when I say that I had “boat money”, I mean I scraped together enough to buy a $1,000 electric boat directly from China. It’s now been two years since that Alibaba delivery, so let’s see how it’s held up and what it looks like now.
As a bit of a refresher first though, here’s what I got at the time. Inside of a surprisingly well-made steel frame and plywood-lined crate (that probably would have cost $1k by itself to have made in the US), my five-seater fiberglass boat awaited me.
It was powered by a cute little 500W inboard motor with a belt and pulley drive connecting it to a rudimentary prop fashioned out of 1/8″ (3mm thick) steel plate bent and welded onto a section of pipe.
The boat didn’t have batteries, so I added my own pair of 12V 200Ah LiFePO4 batteries to create a 5 kWh battery pack that was likely way bigger than I needed.
You can check out my unboxing and testing video here, which went viral with nearly four million people having now joined me at the beginning of this crazy adventure.
The boat seemed to work, in that it stayed above the waterline of our local lake and could move both fore and aft under its own power, fulfilling the major requirements of what it takes to be a motorboat.
However, its performance left a lot to be desired. The prop was only around 75% submerged, meaning there was a lot of cavitation and wasted power churning air through the water. Not only did that make it inefficient, but also slow.
It was hard to travel over a single knot, though I did briefly hit 2 knots on my GPS speedometer app (and I’m counting that, even if I can’t be sure it wasn’t a fluke).
In other words, the boat was surprisingly decent, yet the performance was underwhelming.
For a while now, I’ve been chipping away at a few upgrades to the boat each time I visit my parent’s house, where I keep it. It’s been a fine little boat for my dad to take the grandkids out on and teach them about boating, but it has been due for some deferred love, maintenance, and upgrades.
First of all, here’s how it has aged. Without regular cleaning, there was some serious marine grime building up, but the fiberglass has actually held up surprisingly well in two years of harsh Florida sun and UV.
After two years, the chrome railings had a decent amount of corrosion and what looked like pitting, though it pretty much all buffed right out when I disassembled the canopy to clean everything really well.
After buffing the shine back into the rails, I applied a clear coat so that the rails will hopefully keep their shimmer and I won’t have to re-scrub the life back into them next year. The rest of the boat’s hull and canopy got a simple soapy scrub down.
As I put the canopy back together, I finally made a big addition I’ve been planning ever since I got the boat: solar panels. I put a pair of 100W solar panels on the canopy and wired them into an MPPT solar charge controller that feeds back into the batteries. The panels don’t charge quite as quickly as the boat drains, but it has meant that I never need to pull the boat out to charge it anymore since it just slowly charges up all day while it’s floating around at the dock.
Solar panels on electric boats are a game changer, especially those used for only a few hours a week, such as a Sunday cruise. You can run your battery nearly empty on the water in a day, then let it charge itself up over the next few days.
The next big upgrade I’ve been planning is more power. To get there, I had a slick idea that would let me replace the old rudder and motor in one fell swoop.
The rudder was horribly rusted out at this point, though amazingly that terribly inefficient propellor looked nearly as good as new, so I suspect they actually used stainless steel to fabricate it.
Since the design of the propellor shaft meant that its angle forced the propellor to be too high, I decided to simply replace that entire system with an alternative. Instead of yanking out the propellor shaft and needing to seal the stuffing box, I left the existing seals in place and just cut off the propellor. It ain’t pretty, but it’s below the waterline. It was also a rare case of the easiest solution and the safest solution converging on the same answer, since the shaft is already perfectly sealed against water ingress.
I found an 80 lb thrust Minn Kota trolling motor used online and snagged it for around $200 (it cost over $1,400 new for this American-made motor). It has what Minn Kota refers to as an indestructible shaft, which I believe since it was hard as hell to cut it down to length using a pipe cutter, which was necessary to preserve the wires that run down the shaft.
I removed the rudder and replaced it with the entire trolling motor, now with its shortened shaft, and welded up some new linkage to connect it to the old rudder controls. After yanking out the Minn Kota’s control board and wiring it into my batteries, I had a Frankenstein setup that I figured would give me much more power and also some effective thrust vectoring since I could control the direction of the motor from the wheel, like a real outboard.
I hadn’t yet run the wires up to the helm, so the boat temporarily required a crew of two when I put it back into the water. My dad took the wheel while I stayed in the ‘engine room’ in the back to control the throttle.
It was immediately apparent how much more powerful the boat was now, actually leaving a wake. Unfortunately, it was also immediately apparent why boats have rudders, since this flat bottom boat now had the worst case of oversteer I’ve ever seen.
With the powerful thrust, the boat basically shoved its ass-end all over the place with just a bit of nudging. The cool thing was that it could literally turn in its own length, though we were basically always turning until we could find neutral on the wheel.
My dad described what we had done as “like putting an outboard motor on a pie tin”, and I have to say that felt pretty accurate. It made for some great laughs (see the testing video here, highly recommended!) but was barely controllable. It felt like a bumper car on water.
To fix it, I added a simple bolt-on rudder on the motor shaft. Putting the boat back in proved that there was more control, but it still tends to oversteer a bit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun as hell, but it’s still doesn’t have the precision control I was hoping for. Oh well, it’s good enough for a $1,000 Chinese boat with nearly half as much added into it as part of the upgrades!
Now, the boat is solar-powered, so it never needs charging, and the power is much better to allow for some actually fun cruising at speeds of up to approximately 5 knots. I don’t think we’ll be pulling a water skier anytime soon, but we’re definitely leaving a wake now.
The last thing I need to do is add a pair of bilge pumps (it’s got two sponsons that create low points on either side, so I need two pumps). I had been putting off that project because I never thought I’d really need them, and it was more of a precaution in case of some type of freak accident where I rammed something submerged that holed the hull. I was also dreading putting a hole in a perfectly good fiberglass boat for the pump outlet, even if it was going to be well above the water line.
However, what I didn’t account for was Hurricane Milton, which put so much rain into the boat at such a steep angle that it actually started working its way under the rear bench and filling up the “engine room” area below deck. The boat is self-bailing, at least in normal rain, and has a central scupper that funnels rainwater down through the hull. With around a foot (30 cm) of freeboard, it’s never been an issue, even in hard Florida rains. But a Cat 3 hurricane is a different animal, and once enough water worked its way under the rear bench and the sideways wind/rain duo started tipping the boat, physics took the wheel and the below picture is how things looked after the storm passed.
Fortunately, this was pretty much the only damage my parents’ place took. The boat had probably 100 gallons 380 liters) of water below deck and so my dad couldn’t right it by himself. It sat that way for around six weeks until my next visit, when we pumped the water out. The hull was still secure and she floated right back to her former self.
Having survived two years of use and a Category 3 hurricane, it was time to finally give the old girl’ a name. I asked my subscribers for their recommendations and received hundreds of great ideas (including dozens of Boaty McBoatface) but finally decided on what I felt was the best name of all.
As you read this, the Sunny Side Up still floats, basking in the battery-charging sun and cruising the local private waterways at speeds fast enough to get a fist shaken at you in a no-wake zone.
She ain’t the prettiest boat out there. Nor the fastest. But she’s mine, and she’s beautiful to me.
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Kia’s first electric hatchback stands out in its class. The Kia EV4 hatch arrives with a bold new design that almost looks like a Lamborghini and a surprisingly spacious interior, but can it fill the void for an EV option that isn’t an SUV?
The Kia EV4 hatch delivers a non-SUV EV option
Sick of all the new SUVs hitting the market? Kia wants to shake things up with its first all-electric hatchback, the EV4.
The EV4 is more than an electric hatch. It’s Kia’s first EV built in Europe. Just over a month ago, the first EV4 rolled off the production line at Kia’s manufacturing plant in Slovakia. Marc Hedrich, CEO of Kia Europe, called it a “huge milestone” that will serve as a cornerstone of the automaker’s plans to gain market share in the region.
With Kia’s stylish new design, advanced tech, and more than enough interior space, the EV4 plays the part, but can it carve a niche for itself as an EV option that’s finally not an SUV?
After getting their hands on the EV4 hatch for the first time, Autocar shared what it’s like to finally drive one. According to Autocar’s road tester, Illya Verpraet, “The EV4 feels less like the VW Golf of EVs and more like the Citroën ZX of EVs,” which is “an entirely good thing.”
Kia already offers an SUV in nearly any size with the EV3, EV5, EV6, and EV9. Now it’s aiming to take advantage of the lack of hatchback (or non-SUV) options in Europe.
Like the EV3 and Kia’s other new electric models, the EV4 hatch features its new design theme. Up front, the electric hatch almost resembles a Lamborghini, featuring Kia’s “Star Map” signature lighting and bold curves.
Spacioius interior with plenty of screens
With a length of 4,430 mm, a width of 1,860 mm, and a height of 1,485 mm, the EV4 hatchback is about the same size as the Kia XCreed. However, with a flat floor design, Kia claims the EV4 is “one of the most practical vehicles in its segment,” offering a boot space of 435 liters.
As Autocar pointed out, “The saloon’s boot is wide near the access point and narrows towards the cabin, but it’s a vast space and can even handle a set of golf clubs loaded horizontally.”
The interior has a similar setup to the EV3 with Kia’s new connected car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) infotainment system at the center. The setup features nearly 30″ of screen space with dual 12.3″ driver display and infotainment screens, plus an added 5.3″ climate control display.
According to the reviewer, “Kia’s infotainment system works near-flawlessly” with big icons, an easy-to-use menu, and quick response time.
Competitive driving range and prices
Like Kia’s other electric vehicles, the EV4 is based on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform. It’s available with two battery packs: 58.2 kWh or 81.4 kWh, offering a WLTP driving range of 273 miles or 388 miles. Kia said the EV4 was its first electric vehicle offering a range of over 380 miles.
The more premium “GT-Line” and “GT-Line S” variants are available exclusively with the extended range (81.4 kWh) battery, providing a range of 362 miles.
Is the Kia EV4 hatch a game-changing electric vehicle? According to Autocar’s first review, “The EV4 is neither the Mk2 e-Golf of our dreams nor a disruptor,” but the lack of electric hatchbacks may offer a niche for Kia to take advantage of.
“The EV4 builds on the success of the EV3 to give us a new comfy EV option that isn’t an SUV. It feels like natural order is being restored,” Autocar said.
| Kia EV4 Hatchback trim | Starting Price | Driving Range (WLTP) |
| Air Standard Range | £34,695 ($47,700) | 273 miles |
| Air Long Range | £37,695 ($51,700) | 388 miles |
| GT-Line | £39,395 ($54,000) | 362 miles |
| GT-Line S | £43,895 ($60,200) | 362 miles |
In the UK, the base EV4 Air Standard Range starts at £34,695 ($47,700), while the longer range model is priced from £37,695 ($51,700). Kia also offers the EV4 Fastback, or sedan, starting at £40,895 ($55,000). The Kia EV4 Fastback has a WLTP driving range of up to 391 miles.
Unlike the hatch, the Fastback variant is manufactured at Kia’s Autoland Gwangmyeong EVO plant in South Korea and exported to Europe.
For those in the US, Kia will launch the EV4 sedan version in early 2026. Unfortunately, the electric hatchback is not expected to make the trip overseas.
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BYD has unveiled a new stationary energy storage system, HaoHan, designed to compete with Tesla’s new Megapack 3, which has roughly twice the capacity in the same format.
Earlier this month, Tesla unveiled its next-generation Megapack, a dominant player in large-scale energy storage for some time.
The new Megapack 3 increases the energy capacity of the container-side system from 3.9 MWh to 5 MWh. At the same time, Tesla unveiled the Megablock, which consists of 4 Megapacks combined with a megavolt transformer and switchgear.
Now, BYD has launched a new competing product called ‘HaoHan’.
In its regular configuration, the system has a capacity of 14.5 MWh, almost 3 times Tesla’s Megapack, and in a 20-ft container configuration, it has a 10 MWh capacity.
The system has a Vcts (Volume Ratio of Cell to System) of 52.1%, which BYD claims is the world’s highest.
BYD also claims to have greatly simplified its system while increasing reliability with a “70% reduction in system failure” and “70% reduction in maintenance cost.”
HaoHan is using BYD’s proprietary 2,710 Ah Blade Battery cell – the largest used in stationary storage.
It enables a much higher volumetric energy density, which the company claims results in deploying GWh projects with about half the number of battery systems.
Overall, BYD claims that energy project costs will be reduced by 21.7% thanks to the new HaoHan.
Not unlike Tesla with the Megablock, BYD also unveiled new large-scale power electronics to go along with the new battery system.
GC Flux is BYD’s new grid-forming inverter solution, which can scale from 2.5 to 10 MW.
According to BYD, the inverter delivers about 38% more performance than the industry average and achieves a maximum power density of 1,474 kW/㎡—roughly 130% higher than typical market values. It also offers an overload capacity of up to three times its rated output for 10 seconds, with peak efficiency reaching 99.35%.
The GC Flux PCS is equipped with advanced grid-forming features tailored for today’s energy systems. It can regulate voltage and frequency in real-time, enabling more invert-based power to a grid while reducing the risk of blackouts.
The system provides active inertia response for up to 25 seconds, wide-band damping across the 1–1500 Hz range, and ultra-fast voltage and frequency regulation in under 100 milliseconds. These capabilities are essential for maintaining stability, particularly in hybrid or renewable-heavy grids that demand seamless transitions between grid-connected and islanded operation.
BYD also unveiled something that sounds like a competitor to Tesla’s Autobidder to manage the capacity of these new energy systems: GC Master EMS.
Electrek’s Take
I have been saying for a while that Tesla will not remain the dominant player in energy storage because the central part is battery cells, and Tesla gets those from BYD and CATL, which are now launching their own stationary storage products.
They have a significant advantage since they make the most costly part of those energy storage systems: the battery cells.
BYD has already secured massive orders for the system. HaoHan is going to power the new giant 12.5 GWh project in Saudi Arabia. That’s basically Tesla’s entire energy storage deployment in a quarter.
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Environment
Trek unveils first electric gravel bike: The 2026 Checkpoint+ brings torque, tech, and trail-ready features
Trek is finally electrifying its gravel lineup – quite literally. The company has just launched the Checkpoint+, its first-ever electric gravel bike, and it’s more than just a motor bolted onto an existing frame. With a new high-performance powertrain, serious adventure credentials, and that unmistakable Trek polish, the Checkpoint+ looks ready to stir up the e-gravel world.
At the heart of the new Checkpoint+ is German motor maker TQ’s latest HPR60 motor, offering 350W of peak power and 60Nm of torque, which is a noticeable bump over the HPR50 motor found on Trek’s Domane+ SLR. The HPR60 is not only lighter and quieter, but also manages to stay slim enough to maintain the sleek and minimalist lines that gravel riders seem to love.
It’s paired with a 360Wh internal battery for a claimed 50-mile range in Eco mode, and riders can extend that by 44% with an optional 160Wh range extender that mounts in a bottle cage. The battery isn’t designed for convenient daily removal, though it can be accessed with tools for occasional servicing or replacement.
That assist brings the bike up to 28 mph (45 km/h) in the US, keeping the bike in Class 3 territory. For riders outside the US, unfortunately, assistance still caps at 25 km/h thanks to regional regulations. As is common with European e-bike drivetrains, there is no throttle option as the bike comes in pedal assist only. For most gravel biking veterans though, that’s already to be expected.
The frame uses Trek’s 500 Series OCLV carbon, with geometry carried over from the non-electric Checkpoint, including the rear IsoSpeed decoupler for added comfort. Tire clearance is a healthy 50mm, now becoming standard for top-tier gravel bikes to provide a wide range of tire options. There are also tons of mounting points for racks, bags, fenders, and bottle cages, helping make this a legit bikepacking rig.
There are three builds in the lineup. The top-spec Checkpoint+ SL 7 AXS brings the fancier components with SRAM XO Eagle Transmission, carbon wheels, and a 40mm RockShox Rudy suspension fork. The SL 6 AXS and SL 5 versions stick with rigid carbon forks and dial back the drivetrain slightly, using SRAM GX AXS and Shimano GRX mechanical, respectively. All three are tubeless-ready, with valves and sealant conveniently included with the bike.
A discreet LED display is embedded in the top tube. Higher dollar riders will see color on the SL 7’s screen, while it’s a monochrome affair on the lower trims. For control, there are tiny remote buttons under the brake hoods that let riders change assist modes without ever taking their hands off the bars.
US pricing starts at $5,999.99 for the SL 5, with the SL 6 AXS at $6,599.99, and the fully-loaded SL 7 AXS ringing in at $7,999.99.
Electrek’s Take
It’s about time Trek gave us an electric gravel bike, and it looks like the wait might’ve been worth it. The Checkpoint+ looks great and seems to nail the details. The new TQ HPR60 motor is a smart upgrade, the clean integration looks fantastic, and the build options offer something for both performance-focused riders and long-haul adventurers.
That said, nearly $8K is a lot of cheddar for the top-end build, even if it comes with a wireless SRAM Transmission and a suspension fork. And there’s no removable battery, which is a bummer for anyone hoping to lighten the bike for lifts, carry a spare with them, or just have the option to swap out a battery themself if something goes wrong down the road.
Still, the Checkpoint+ has all the hallmarks of a premium Trek: refined, reliable, and ready for whatever dusty detour you throw at it. For gravel riders looking to go farther, faster, especially without sacrificing the soul of the sport by keeping the power pointed but modest, this could be your new best friend on the trails.
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