Making Waves in the EV Industry: Taiga Begins Deliveries of the New Orca(TM) Performance Personal Watercraft

MONTREAL, Aug. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - The leading off-road electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Taiga Motors Corporation (TSX: TAIG) ("Taiga" or the "Company") is thrilled to announce the launch of its newest model, Orca Performance, marking a significant milestone in the marine industry. After more than six years of dedicated R&D and cutting-edge engineering, Taiga proudly presents its revolutionary 100% electric Personal Watercraft (PWC), with a starting price of $19,490 USD, making high-performance more accessible to a new wave of uncompromising watersport enthusiasts.

"Orca Performance stands as a true game-changer. This groundbreaking model represents a leap forward in mass-market boating electrification, showcasing our commitment to pushing boundaries and delivering exceptional performance at competitive prices," said Samuel Bruneau, CEO, and co-founder of Taiga. "Our design and engineering teams have pushed themselves, enabling us to optimize designs for high volume manufacturing without compromising the Orca's distinctive character lines, agile hydrodynamics or exhilarating acceleration", he added.

On a mission to redefine sustainable boating.

Orca Performance represents a paradigm shift redefining the combustion personal watercraft from one of the most polluting recreational boats to a fully electric model delivering segment leading performance, silent operation, zero emissions at reduced lifetime operating costs.

"No more trips to the gas station, no more hauling fuel down to the dock or spills into the lake, and no more engine maintenance; Orca Performance truly redefines the experience of owning a personal watercraft," explained Sam Bruneau. "Spend an afternoon on the water with up to 2 hours of riding, charge, unplug and repeat. Orca Performance will keep delivering year after year with minimal maintenance so users can focus on what matters- exploring the great outdoors with friends, family, and conserving waterways for future generations," he noted.

Careful attention has been paid to every aspect of the design for a seamless user experience. A fully closed loop powertrain system, designed for Taiga snowmobiles, not only ensures that no pollutants are introduced to the water, but also means no special winterization is required. The auxiliary systems have extremely low parasitic drain so that the vehicle can be left unplugged up to three years without draining the battery.

Orca Performance silently powers through the water, unheard from the shoreline and up to 30 dB¹ quieter than gas watercraft. Advanced motor controls enable industry first adaptive impeller slowing rotation when the watercraft jumps into the air for greater efficiency and further reducing noise levels.

The new Orca Performance is a leap forward with innovative new hull, battery, and electric propulsion technology enhancing manufacturing efficiency with cutting edge automation. The watercraft hull utilizes advanced high pressure moulded fiber reinforced composites developed over the past three years and built in Canada. The precision molded hull has been hydrodynamically optimised balancing playful carving and efficient cruising across varied conditions. This is coupled with a low center of gravity from the battery below the waterline delivering leading stability in cornering conditions.

The new Taiga battery generation is a major advancement in part integration (removing more than 700 parts) for streamlined automated manufacturing. The sealed lithium-ion battery has been optimized from a clean sheet to safely deliver maximum power across its lifetime under high vibrations and saltwater environments, providing energy for up to two hours of riding. Using standard automotive charging systems, Orca Performance can be easily charged with the included mobile connector overnight on any outlet, with Level 2 chargers in 3.5hrs or on optional DC Fast Charging to 80% in under 40 minutes¹.

Orca Performance is powered by Taiga's sixth generation integrated motor-inverter Tractive Unit, delivering greater efficiency up to 120kW, 170Nm of torque and maximum speed of 9,000rpm¹. The Tractive Unit offers peak torque across an ultrawide torque band and millisecond response time for precise and exhilarating acceleration at any speed.

Taiga's integrated hardware and software technology stack enables an unprecedented control in fine tuning the Tractive Unit, battery, and vehicle systems that adjust and shift in response to the watercraft. Continuously improving, every Taiga vehicle is LTE equipped (along with Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi) to receive OTA updates. OTA updates can remotely adjust systems in the vehicle from an update to the user interface, release of new features, and provide insights to preventative maintenance. Functionality is further enhanced by the Taiga mobile application, launching on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, providing easy access to the charging set-up, among other features.

From the handlebars, riders can select operating modes, control jet pump trim actuation, and monitor live parameters on the 7" HD display. Orca Performance has three default user selectable ride modes including Range Mode for efficient cruising, Sport Mode for playful carving and Wild Mode for fastest throttle response and maximum performance. Adjusting the trim levels at the push of a button shifts riding dynamics from a playful to more aggressive ride. Unique to the Orca platform the watercraft seamlessly switches impeller direction to provide braking thrust and reverse, forgoing the need for an additional nozzle. Reversing the impeller also enables clearing of seaweed and debris that could be aspirated into the intake.

"We take great pride in bringing this new innovation to the market, and in making it more accessible, especially in an industry where electrification presented significant challenges that not everyone was willing to undertake. We will continue pushing technological boundaries that others shy away to deliver the best possible electric products for accelerated electrification," concluded the CEO and co-founder of Taiga.

• Discover the video of the new Orca Performance personal watercraft: Click now.
• To download the media kit, please click here.
• For more information and to explore the Orca Performance's new features, please click here.

Taiga was recently named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2022, Fast Company's 2022 Best World Changing Idea Overall in North America, and Popular Science 2022 Best of What's New.

Taiga (TSX: TAIG) is a Canadian company reinventing the powersports landscape with breakthrough electric off-road vehicles. Through a clean-sheet engineering approach, Taiga has pushed the frontiers of electric technology to achieve extreme power-to-weight ratios and thermal specifications required to outperform comparable high-performance combustion powersports vehicles. The first models released include a lineup of electric snowmobiles and personal watercraft to deliver on a rapidly growing demand from recreational and commercial customers who are seeking better ways to explore the great outdoors without compromise. For more information, visit taigamotors.com. 

¹Performance and Specifications

Specifications are given for informational purpose only based on Taiga's testing. Metrics (such as weight, range, speed, acceleration and battery life) may vary based on the environment, terrain, weather conditions, local regulations and Final build of the ordered product.

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information with respect to the anticipated performance of customer experiences, the performance and behaviour of Taiga vehicles, the ability to advance the fast charging capabilities in a measured manner and the associated benefits in respect thereof. Forward-looking statements generally, but not always, can be identified using forward-looking terminology such as "outlook", "objective", "may", "could", "would", "will", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "forecasts", "project", "seek", "anticipate", "believes", "should", "plans" or "continue", or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events and the negative of any of these terms. Forward-looking information is provided for the purposes of assisting the reader in understanding the Company and its business, operations, prospects and risks at a point in time in the context of historical and possible future developments and therefore the reader is cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in the Company's management's discussion and analysis for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023, and under the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's annual information form filed on March 30, 2023 on the Company's SEDAR profile at sedar.com. 

Forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs, expectations and assumptions and are based on information currently available to management. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes, or results anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such statements. 

All forward-looking statements included in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Unless otherwise indicated, the forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release, and except as required by applicable law, Taiga does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether because of added information, future events or otherwise. 

SOURCE Taiga Motors Corporation