Jet skis can be exhilarating. There’s definitely something special about blasting across the water at 50 miles per hour on a hot summer’s day with the sun shining down and wind in your hair.
However, personal watercraft (PWC) also can burn through an insane amount of fuel. Hence they can cost a small fortune to run and, like all other gas-powered vehicles, are detrimental to the environment.
An electric jet ski, therefore, makes a lot of sense – with low running costs and limited environmental damage you immediately lose the two major drawbacks of traditionally powered PWC. Yes, jet skis are ultimately toys and unnecessary for day-to-day travel, but if you are buying one, the Orca is by far the most sustainable way to go.
Meet the Taiga Orca, the world’s first all-electric jet ski. Taiga Motors, founded in 2015, is a Canadian firm aiming to electrify the powersports industry. As well as the Orca jet ski, the firm also produces the Nomad electric snowmobile.
I traveled to Burlington, Vermont to test a Founders Edition Orca on the beautiful Lake Champlain. The 490 square-mile Lake Champlain stretches between the US and Canada. When I rode the Orca, the weather was not on my side and I had to combat strong chop and rough winds - however, I think this only added to the fun.
The Orca was first unveiled back in 2019. The final production version is just as sleek as the first prototype and has a wide array of colors to choose from.
The Orca is powered by a 24-kilowatt-hour battery, which is roughly the same size as the first-gen Nissan Leaf’s pack. However, while the 2010 Leaf’s battery weighs 496 pounds, the entire Taiga Orca comes in at just 738.5 lbs. The Orca keeps its weight down thanks to a carbon fiber composite hull. However, it’s still rather heavy compared to gasoline jet skis, which typically weigh in the region of 500-700 lbs. Still, not bad for an EV.
Three versions of the Orca are currently available. The entry-level version is the 90 horsepower Orca Sport. A Performance version of the Orca with more color options produces 160 hp. The Carbon trim sits at the top of the Orca lineup and offers the same power as the Performance but has sportier looks and weighs less. The Founders Edition I rode is sold out.
The majority of ICE jet skis make between 100-150 hp, meaning the Orca Sport and Carbon are among the most powerful jet skis on the market. As a result of this power, they can tow wakeboarders and tubers. Insideevs - link - Ben O'Hare - link - more like this (Canada) - link - more like this (electric boats) - link
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