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Electric PWC slated for U.S. dealerships in 2021; MSRP revealed

Taiga has revealed the MSRP for its Orca electric personal watercraft that is scheduled to land in U.S. dealerships in the summer of 2021.

The Orca Sport brings a $15,000 MSRP. The Orca Performance will sell for $17,500 and the Orca Carbon will bring $24,000.

Here’s the scoop from the Montreal-based company:

Propelled by the strong response to its electric snowmobiles and premium Founders Edition electric watercraft, Taiga Motors is launching two new electric personal watercraft (PWC) Orca models starting at $15,000 USD.

The Orca ‘Sport’ and ‘Performance’ models are an important next step in Taiga’s roadmap towards accelerating sustainable exploration of the great outdoors for all. Designed from the water up, these models redefine the recreational watercraft experience with silent operation, leading power to weight, hassle-free ownership, intelligent connectivity and competitive pricing.

Powering the new models is the same evolutionary Taiga RADIX powertrain platform found in their TS3 electric snowmobiles. The shared powertrain architecture not only offers enhanced performance and reliability under extreme conditions, but also drives down costs across vehicle segments.

“It is exciting to see the intensive R&D behind our electric platform accelerating the rollout of new models. Alongside this, we have made great progress with our manufacturing partners to introduce Orca models at a lower price point sooner than expected,” explains Taiga CEO Samuel Bruneau.

The Orca Sport model starts at $15,000 USD, offering 120 HP while weighing just 533 lbs. The Orca Performance model starts at $17,500 USD, offering up to 180 HP and an optional 3-person tow sport package with instant low-end torque. In the premium segment, Taiga offers a full Carbon Performance model starting at $24,000 USD, with enhanced drive dynamics and options for tailored color and material selections.

Redefining the personal watercraft experience

Orca is the result of years of testing with hundreds of users across lakes, rivers, and oceans to provide the best possible riding experience. The advanced plastic composite hull construction and compact design has enabled a lightweight watercraft that can accelerate to plane faster than any other PWC while remaining efficient and agile.

Riders and onlookers will enjoy Taiga’s whisper quiet ride and zero emissions in harmony with the pristine environments in which they operate. At full throttle, the Orca emits up to 20 times less noise than competing combustion PWCs. Users switching from combustion engine models will also enjoy the zero-maintenance powertrain and the absence of refueling for savings of up to $3,000 over 5-years.

Electric powered watercrafts have seen increasing interest, but high price points have limited accessibility. Price competitive with traditional PWCs, Orca offers discerning thrill seekers a no compromise solution to summertime adventures. No more trips to the gas station, no more hauling fuel down to the dock or spills into the lake, and no more oil changes or winterization; Orca redefines the experience of owning a personal watercraft. Spend an afternoon on the water, charge overnight, unplug and repeat.

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Orca Sport and Performance model deliveries are targeted to begin summer 2021 through Taiga dealers and can now be pre-ordered online with a $100 USD deposit.

— Dave McMahon, editor, dmcmahon at powersportsbusiness.com

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4 Comments

  1. I think it’s inevitable that our industry is moving in this direction (at least a portion of it), but one thing that is really being overlooked is the training for technicians who are going to have to work on these machines. Electricity is dangerous and I have some concerns that we’ll see multiple building fires and injured technicians before the OEMs take service training seriously.

    I was a tank mechanic in the Military. While the main system on the Abrams was only 24 volts, that was provided by 6 deep cell batteries in a series/parallel configuration. At over 2000 amps, 24 Volts was enough to vaporize rings and the necklaces that dog tags hang on. You saw many techs in the Army who were missing a finger, or had permanent scars around their necks. Lessons hard learned.

  2. I am excited to see this technology being brought into the PWC segment, and it has additional benefits beyond those mentioned in the article. I highly suggest those questioning this type of power vs traditional gas power, to dig deep into the website of Taiga Motors, seek out the ever-growing number of reviews. It certainly appears that Taiga has done their homework internally, coupled with plenty of field-sourced test feedback, to arrive at their ORCA offering. I am thoroughly impressed.

    This product opens doors to waters that are closed to gas-powered craft, eliminates the typical noise and fuel pollution that will have plenty of people cheering, and cancels out the inevitable maintenance that is required annually with a gas-powered unit. Collectively, this becomes a great offering for cottage owners, tour companies, resort rental fleets, and the list goes on. I believe Taiga has developed a winner with its Orca line, and I’m very much pondering becoming a proud owner myself, very soon.

    To the comment about servicing these units, I entrust that Taiga will fully, and properly train all personnel that will be working on these, however there isn’t much to tinker with vs. a gas-powered PWC.

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