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Silent Yachts launches solar catamaran with kite wing sail and 100 mile daily range from the sun

solar yacht

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.

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I tested a flying electric boat and it was even cooler than it sounds

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!

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Candela’s C-8 flying electric boat is already selling better than gas-powered boats

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.

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Awesomely Weird Alibaba EV of the Week: $1,500 electric duck boat

electric duck boat

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!

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Orca AI begins research trial of safety system for autonomous ships

autonomous ships

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.

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I drove a rare solar-electric yacht to test clean-sea propulsion, here’s how it went

electric yacht

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.

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World’s first autonomous, 7MWh electric cargo ship to make voyage with zero crew onboard

Electric cargo ship

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.

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Electric bodyboard/water scooter review: Firduo’s electric jet board rips through the surf!

firduo electric bodyboard

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!

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Awesomely Weird Alibaba EV of the Week: $1,000 for a 5-seater electric boat

cheap electric boat

Oh buoy, do I have a good one for you all this week! Who’s ready to set sail with the whole family on their very own electric boat for the cool price of just $1,000?! Well, you’re in luck, because that’s exactly what I’ve got on deck for you in this week’s installment of the Awesomely Weird Alibaba EV of the Week series!

While past entries in the series have featured such landlubbing vehicles as a $1,700 electric Jeep or the weirdest $4,800 electric RV you’ve ever seen, this week we’re mustering our sea legs and pushing off on a nautically themed voyage of the weirdest little electric corner of the internet: Alibaba’s electric vehicle catalog.

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X SHORE Electric Boat & AIM ZERO Ocean Clean-Up

When we first embarked on our Fully Charged journey — 10 years and 553 episodes ago — we were especially attracted to electric cars and the clean energy that could potentially power them. Over time, and to our occasional astonishment, the adaptability of the humble battery has opened up new applications as easily as a swiss-army knife. Aviation is something we never thought we would see in our lifetimes, and it’s still in its infancy, but a wave of E-boats are about to make their bow. Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, is known as “the Venice of the North” and with its thousands of waterways is outlawing diesel boats from 2025. Naturally, other European Cities are set to follow. When we were invited to be part of an Ocean Clean-Up organized by AIM ZERO in Sweden, we didn’t hesitate.

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