Electric boats

E1 racing CEO and co-founder Rodi Basso was kind enough to spend some time talking with us last week to talk about E1, Formula cars, Mercury Marine electric power, and what the future of high-speed boating might look like.

Today Ultra-Yacht announced its first-ever All-Electric Duffy Boat featuring a solar charging option at the St. Petersburg Power and Sailboat Show in Florida. The Duffy Bayshore 18 is a zero-emission, low-maintenance boat that offers up to 12 hours of fun on the water.

Electric boat designer and manufacturer Magonis is celebrating its flagship Wave e-550 boat and most powerful electric motor hitting 22 knots at open sea off the coast of Italy. According to Magonis, the trials exemplify the Wave e-550’s quality of design and hull lines, opening the door for expanded possibilities of use for its electric boat customers.

With funding from Dallas Mavericks owner and Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban and Fitbit founder James Park, REGENT has announced that it’s moving forward with a “proof of concept” model for its revolutionary 180-mph “float, foil, fly” electric seaglider.

For some time now we’ve been following the development of the Candela C-8 electric hydrofoil boat, whose Swedish manufacturer says is the fastest electric speedboat in the world. Or at least it will be, once it makes its maiden voyage later this winter.

However, the €290,000 premium electric hydrofoil boat remains out of the reach of all but the most elite of boat owners. But what if you didn’t have to own one just to enjoy it? That’s what Candela is making possible thanks to a new partnership with the Agapi Boat Club.

Pure Watercraft has unveiled the first fruits of its collaboration with General Motors at CES 2022, and it’s a Pure-branded, “affordable luxury” electric pontoon boat that offers silent running, smooth acceleration, and dramatically reduced maintenance – without exhaust gas and oil leaks ruining the water for everyone. Is it enough to to make a splash in the recreational boat market, and why did GM buy 25 percent of the company back in November? Read on.

Electric boats have been around for a long time, mainly in applications where the expectations for range and speed are lower than large powerboats. Now, companies like Taiga Motors and Nautique are leveraging electric motors’ low-end torque to enhance the water powersport experience – but bigger boats carry bigger expectations. Brunswick’s ACES strategy, revealed this week at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, aims to meet those expectations head-on.

DC Fast Charging hardware and software manufacturer Tritium has announced a strategic partnership with Aqua superPower, the first fast charging network developed specifically for marine EVs. Together, the companies plan to expand electric boat charging on waterways around the world.

Solar boat engineer and designer Silent Yachts has shared new details of the SILENT-60, a 60′ catamaran with 42 solar panels and two electric propelled motors backed by 286 kWh of battery capacity. While Silent Yachts’ solar-powered vessels are all unique, the SILENT-60 will also be fitted with a 9-13 square meter kite wing, generating additional clean power to pull the yacht.

Arc’s founders may have started with rockets, but now they’re getting their feet wet with high-power electric boats. And a new funding commitment from a former Tesla exec means that their high-performance Arc One electric boats may soon be gracing a waterfront near you.

When I first began covering Candela and the company’s flying electric boats, I thought it was pretty cool tech that only a few people could ever dream of experiencing. Fast forward to a few days ago when I was flying above the water around a Swedish archipelago, contemplating how the twists and turns of life had taken me here.

I’m now a firm believer in hydrofoil electric boats as one of the best ways to bring efficient electric boating to the world’s lakes, rivers, bays, seas, and other waterways in order to replace gas-powered boats. And it’s only partly because of how much fun these things are!

When Stockholm-based boat builder Candela launched its C-8 electric hydrofoil boat last month, the company considered it to be the “Model S moment of leisure boats,” replacing its largely hand-built C-7 with a mass-produceable product that was superior in many ways.

Now Candela’s investment is paying off as early sales figures show that the C-8 is handily outselling its gas-powered competition.

There are few things more pleasurable than a relaxing Sunday on your own boat, slowly meandering your way around the local lake or water hole. And lately the increasing number of electric boats are making that experience even more relaxing by removing the noisy and troublesome gas engines from the mix. But electric boats have often been prohibitively expensive… until now!

That’s because I’ve found the coolest way to get your affordable electric boating game on, as long as you don’t mind a slightly avian flair to your pleasure cruiser. This $1,500 duck boat isn’t your typical army-surplus amphibious tour bus – it’s an actual duck. And it checks all the boxes necessary to make it the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week!

Maritime platform developer Orca AI has recently announced a partnership with ​​Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) to test its safety system for autonomous ships. Orca AI’s Automatic Ship Target Recognition System has been installed on an NYK ship as a research trial to support the advancement of autonomous sea travel.

While we at Electrek often tend to focus on electric vehicles taking over roads, it’s important to remember that our inevitable abandonment of fossil fuels stems to all modes of transportation, whether it’s by land, air, or even the sea. I recently had the opportunity to set sail on Sunwater Marine’s Ramblin’ Rose, a 40-foot sailing yacht powered by solar panels and electric propulsion. It’s one of the only vessels of its kind on the West Coast.

Candela has just revealed its latest hydrofoil electric boat, the Candela C-8. With the high-tech, ultra-premium electric boat designed for mass production, the company is calling this “an iPhone moment for the boat industry.”

A Norwegian company called Yara International claims to have created the world’s first zero-emission ship that can also transport cargo autonomously. The Yara Birkeland electric cargo ship was first conceptualized in 2017 but now looks to make its first voyage with no crew members onboard later this year in Norway.

Bodyboarding the old-fashioned way is plenty of fun, but what if the sea is too calm (or you’re in a pool or lake)? Then an electric bodyboard can give you the same thrill no matter what type of water you’re in. I just had the chance to test out Firduo’s electric bodyboard, and I haven’t stopped smiling since!

Swedish electric boat manufacturer Candela has just unveiled a revolutionary new electric drive unit known as the C-Pod for its premium electric boats, and it’s an engineering work of art.

Candela claims that these are the highest-efficiency and longest-lasting boat motors ever.

Crowley Maritime Corp. has announced an all-electric tugboat to serve the Port of San Diego. The eWolf will be first zero-emission tugboat in the US when it sets sail in 2023, hauling with it more than 6MWh of battery power. All without using a single drop of fuel.

Public transportation just got way cooler. Premium Swedish electric boat maker Candela has just unveiled the new Candela P-12, an electric hydrofoil water taxi.