Awake Boards, the creator of high-performance electric surfboards, is out with its latest model—its top-of-the-range Rävik S 22. The company’s new model gets a full system update. Its modular plug-and-play system remains, meaning the board, drivetrain, and battery are “free of fiddly cables” and are quick and easy to set up. In addition, the modules are interchangeable, and the battery works across Awake’s range of boards.
“The Rävik S 22 will allow riders to challenge themselves on an electric surfboard like never before to push harder, jump higher, turn sharper, and ride faster,” said Vendela Hägge, Chief Commercial Officer. “To enjoy the most extreme, complete, and satisfying waterborne experience it is possible to have because this is the most extreme electric surfboard in the world.” In short, our engineers designed everything with simplicity and performance in mind to get you out on the water as fast as possible,” added Hägge.
In 2017, Awake Boards was founded in Sweden by personal watercraft industry veterans Philip Werner, Daniel Aronsson, and Mikael Kajbring. They helped launch the new segment within the water sports industry of electric surfboards. The company has positioned itself as one of the industry’s frontrunners in a market that includes Raddin, Jetsurf, Onean, Fliteboard, Olo, Torque, Waydoo, Lampuga, and Lift.
Awake says its products are designed for high performance, from beginners to the most advanced riders. Ease of use is a core design focus, with intuitive features from the full deck pad to the Awake app. The company believes that time spent setting up a board is time a user could be spending on the water enjoying it.
After doubling revenue three years in a row, the company is now gearing up for the next phase of growth by bringing in Adam Treschow, formerly of Electrolux, as the company’s new CEO at the end of 2021. He takes over those duties from Aronsson, who is overseeing the company’s growth-focused scale-up strategy.
“I look forward to working together with the founders and the rest of the team at Awake in ushering in a new era of electrification in the water sports segment,” said Treschow. “I find the focus on development, innovation, and design very appealing, and Awake is already a frontrunner in the industry, with a number of years of experience.”
The addition of Treschow marks the latest of several executive management hires within the manufacturing, R&D, and commercial departments as the company work on a large-scale production transfer from Limhamn, Sweden, to a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Szczecin, Poland. The transfer is intended to satisfy the exponential growth in pre-orders for 2022 as well as a pending expansion into more global markets.
The company’s new range-topping Rävik S 22 is 175 cm (69 in) long, 61 cm (24 in) wide, and 27 cm (11 in) thick. It has Eco, Sport, and Extreme rider modes.
The speed controller, for example, was fully redesigned for more performance and durability. It is more responsive, providing an almost instant connection between board and rider of 0.02 s for improved turns and tricks.
A new motor delivers greater power for speeds up to 30 knots or 57 km/h (36 mph). The optimized impeller design—with a wider base and steeper blade angle—increases torque for greater acceleration on demand, with acceleration from 0 to 50 km/h (30 mph) in 4 s. Awake’s Linear Jet System is designed to provide consistent, predictable thrust in choppy conditions.
The complex W-shaped hull is carried over, but its high-efficiency profile gets new features. Hydrodynamic performance steep rocker, slim tail, and deep channels to deliver overall better agility for deep carves and high jumps.
As with other Awake boards, energy comes from an Awake SR (standard range) battery or XR (extended range) upgrade. Board weight for the SR is 39 kg (86 lb), with a riding time up to 20 min and a charging time of 1 h, 20 min. The XR comes in a 43 kg (95 lb), for riding up to 45 min and a charging time of 2 h even. Predictably, Awake team riders recommend the XR battery. Rävik S boards come with a 24-month guarantee (EU standard).