To paraphrase the emitable Three 6 Mafia, "It's hard out here for an electric powersports startup." The world of fast, easy startup cash driven by the meteoric rise of Tesla, Rivian, and others is gone. Subsidies are drying up, too, as a new US administration wages war against the technology it deems "woke," whatever that word means these days.
Yet, there are glimmers of hope within the space, as some manufacturers have been able to—so far—weather the storm and a changing perception by the public at large. Zero is going all in on one of the hottest markets around, small dirt bikes aimed at the youths. Stark Future has been setting sales records and is profitable. Can-Am is branching out further with more EV models. And Polaris is expanding its charging network for off-road, off-grid adventures, safeguarding its position in the space into the future.
More importantly to this story, however, is the saga of Taiga, the Canadian startup that aimed to revolutionize the space with a handful of all-electric powersports machines, which included snowmobiles and PWCs. But a few months back, after a series of issues, the company went bankrupt. It didn't stay that way all that long, as out of nowhere, it was saved by outside investors who believed in the brand's mission.
The company was back, production resumed, and now, on the heels of all that, Taiga says it's introducing a brand-new model to its PWC lineup called the Orca WX3.
The basics of the Orca WX3 are that Taiga took its regular Orca P2 PWC and stretched it into a three-seater, as the company is now targeting tour operators throughout Europe. According to Taiga's co-founder, Samuel Bruneau, who spoke with The Globe and Mail, "[There’s] huge excitement in Europe about electrification in general, but especially in this marine [market] there’s a really big push back against the noise, against the pollution of Jet Skis," adding, "We have a lot of people [from Europe] placing calls with us, like, ‘Hey, I run a Jet Ski business. I don’t want to lose the business. I need these electric models to keep going.'"
Taiga says that the Orca WX3 is powered by the same 120kW battery pack, which produces around 160 horsepower. The brand says that's good enough for around 2 hours of ride time, though if you just pin the throttle and don't let up, that drops to about 1 hour and 20 minutes. But with fast-charging, something it's hoping to have more of soon, thanks to other all-electric watercraft, charging can be done in just half an hour, which gives you a chance to fill yourself up with some coffee or a nice lunch.
I mention other electric watercraft, as the folks who invested and revived Taiga are the same folks behind Vita electric boats and Aqua Superpower EV chargers. So the two go hand-in-hand, which is why Taiga is more bullish on adding EV chargers wherever they're needed. That also makes tour operators' and guides' ease of purchase that much easier, as it's become a one-stop shop.
As for price, it's steep. The new three-seater Orca WX3 will set individuals and tour operators, as well as resorts, back a cool $23,999, while the two-seater Orca P2 commands a $20,999. Those are pretty pennies these days, but if the company is targeting European operators instead of individuals, that might be a play that'll work. We'll have to wait and see.
