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The 17th edition of the International Multihull Show is set to take place April 22-26. A record number of boats with electric and hybrid propulsion are taking part. The show, at La Grande-Motte on France’s Mediterranean coast, demonstrates not just that multihulls have become one of the fastest-growing segments in global boating, but also how more and more boat builders and owners are embracing fossil-fuel-free (FFF) propulsion. In fact, 16 of the 80 exhibiting boats – 20% – are available with electric or hybrid as an option. Listen to this article as a podcast Multihulls partner especially well with electric and hybrid for a couple of reasons. The first is that two or three smaller hulls have less drag and are more efficient than monohulls, requiring less energy to move through water. The second is that the wider beams deliver larger surface areas for solar integration – with the bonus of more living space! Also Multihull Of The Year Awards As the name suggests, there are no monohulls at the Show, only catamarans and trimarans – both sail and power – and of course other manufacturers and retailers associated with the boat industry such as motors and sailmakers. The show is also the home of the annual Multihull of the Year Awards (MOTY). Both the show and awards are presented by the Multihulls World magazine and website. In this Plugboats Guide to Electric Boats Exhibitors we highlight some of the boats available with electric and hybrid propulsion – including those that are Finalists in the MOTY Awards – as well as some exhibiting electric motor companies. With those 16 exhibiting multihulls and 10 MOTY Finalists, this is by far the most ‘electrified’ version of the show. There are also five electric motor companies with booths at La Grande-Motte along with three electrified RIB tenders and one electric jetski. Directory of Electric Boat Exhibitors at the International Multihull Show 2026 Selected boats and motors are highlighted further below. Click to Open   +   or  –  Close a Directory of all electric exhibitors. Click any tile for company information and links. Aquila aquilaboats.com [email protected] Aquila Sail Catamarans Great sailing adventures begin with great boats. Aquila’s new sailing catamaran fleet—the 44, 50, and 63 Sail—delivers thoughtful design that maximizes space, functionality, cruising comfort, and quality. Every detail matters when you’re living aboard, from our innovative fixed bow for entertaining and relaxing, to your choice of diesel or whisper-quiet Hybrid Ocean Drive to match your cruising style. Inside, panoramic windows frame nature’s theater while spacious salons and galleys become your command center. Choose from 4, 5, or 6 cabin configurations, each with private entrances that preserve personal sanctuary. Bridge-to-bow access allows quick and easy access from the flybridge to the foredeck cockpit, while generous interiors provide genuine comfort during extended passages. Whether pursuing private ownership or charter opportunities, these catamarans offer the quality and cruising excellence Aquila is renowned for with innovations that elevate your sailing experience. Where will the wind take you? AST Yachts & Composites ast-yachts.com [email protected] +49 331 / 70455690work Cataruga cataruga.com At Cataruga, we believe in a different way of experiencing the sea. Our ambition: to put freedom, simplicity, and respect for life back at the heart of sailing. Founded by Jean Sommereux, engineer and sailor, Cataruga was born from a dream: to create a catamaran that was robust, elegant and durable, designed not for raw performance, but for the pleasure of living on the water. Switzerland / Tunisia E-NAV Systems e-navsystems.com +33 7 49 66 80 88work ELECTRIC / HYBRID INSTALLATIONS AND NAUTICAL PROPULSION SYSTEMS eNAV SYSTEMS is a design company that specializes in providing propulsion and green energy solutions for boats: electric and hybrid engines, hydro-generation, photovoltaic or wind power production… We equip different types of boats: pleasure or racing sailboats, motorboats, charteryatchs, passenger boats, workboats, dinghies. We design electric or hybrid motor solutions by choosing the best of the current technology in order to offer optimal navigation performances and comfort on board. We select our suppliers among the best brands. Location: Grand Motte, France Earthling earthlingethos.com EPTechnologies eptechnologies.dk [email protected] +49 40 3348 24 76work EPTechnologies is a complete marine propulsion provider for electric and hybrid vessels. We guide the customers through the process of turning dreams into real hybrid and electric vessels with the use of the finest quality that makes economical sense. With us you get all out of one hand, from our in-house lithium-ion batteries, DC-generators and sail /shaft or Z / Jet drives and it’s all controlled by our own trust

Tucked away among the superyachts of the 2026 Palm Beach Boat Show was the ENVGO NV1, a 26 foot electric hydrofoiling leisure boat that impressed with its speed, range and striking design. Long before drones were making headlines in war zones, a group of engineers in the Canadian tech hub of Waterloo, just outside Toronto, was developing early UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) that incorporate artificial intelligence, autonomous flight control and robotics. Listen to this article as a podcast The drones were designed for things like high danger industrial inspections and disaster zone assistance. They needed to have 100% reliability in every kind of weather and terrain condition. Operator training time couldn’t always be assured. So the drones had to be not just ‘smart’, but also easy and instinctive to use. Those are exactly the kinds of technologies and attributes needed for a high performance electric hydrofoiling leisure boat and the migration of that pioneering drone work to the new ENVGO NV-1 is one of the things that go into making the boat’s debut so impressive. Reliable, smart, easy to use The six co-founders of ENVGO all worked together developing that UAV technology at Aeryon Labs, which was sold in 2019 for about $200M. For techie types out there, it is the system behind the Teledyne FLIR SkyRanger R70. Mike Peasgood, co-founder of Aeryon and now CEO of ENVGO, grew up sailing, windsurfing and fishing and just loved being out on the water. He also loved fast, high performance automobiles, but not their combustion engines. When electric cars came along he was excited to see them bring instant torque, super low maintenance and ease of use to drivers and – like many others now in the electric boat world – he kept looking for the boat that would offer those same features and benefits. After the drone company was sold, he had time to seriously think about how to solve the problem of getting a clean tech solution on the water. He suggested to some of the core Aeryon team that the marine space might be a good area for applying their talents and experience to develop the next new and exciting thing. 10 times more power to push a boat through water While none of them were really ‘boat people’, they were engineers and problem solvers who, as Mike says “like a challenge and like building really cool technology that doesn’t exist in the world. This was a really cool challenge, and the other huge driver was the idea of creating a better future where we could bring a clean tech solution to the industry, help clean up our lakes and rivers.” Taking the classic engineering approach, the first step was analyzing whether there was an opportunity to build a technology solution that solves a real problem. The real problem is the physics that face all electric marine propulsion: it takes about 10 times as much power to push a boat through water as it does to push a car through air. For slower boats that is not necessarily an issue, but for high performance boats it is a significant challenge. An obvious solution – especially if you come from the world of making things fly – is to take the hull out of the water and have it travel through the air. That’s hydrofoiling. And it uses about a quarter the energy of a traditional boat. The assignment was perfect for the drone engineers. As Mike says, “It’s not a marine design challenge. It’s an aerospace design challenge. It was right in their sweet spot.” The team started by building a small proof of concept boat, about the same size as their UAVs – one metre (three feet) long. They were looking at adapting the Aeryon technology and figuring out the differences between being in the water versus being in the air. Next came a 3.6m (12 ft) single person hydrofoiler, which is when their drone technology started to come to the fore, ready for modification. Hydrofoiling an aerospace challenge, not marine A hydrofoiling boat is similar to a quadrotor (four propeller) drone like the ones Aeryon developed. They both have a strong tendency to flip upside down if left to their own devices. Mike explained to me that traditional small planes are actually quite stable. If you let go of the controls that determine the pitch (front to back level) and roll (side to side level), they will still basically stay on course and you only have to control the altitude. “But with a quadrotor drone – or hydrogoiling boat – you need a real time flight controller in there, a piece of hardware that is measuring the roll and pitch of the vehicle all the time, and updating the controls really, really quickly.” Like 250 times a second quickly. That, in turn, requires sensors. There’s a unit inside the boat that works in conjunction with accelerometers and gyroscopic sensors that are identifying how quickly things are rolling and pitching in the orientation of the boat. Outside the boat, radar sensors measure the height of the hull above the surface while sonar sensors measure the depth o

Network operator Aqua superPower and EV charger manufacturer Hellonext have announced a strategic and synergistic alliance that will accelerate the growth of high speed electric boat charging throughout Europe and beyond. Aqua superPower already manages the operations of 50+ high speed DC chargers in Sweden, France, Portugal, Spain, Monaco Italy, the UK and US. That includes charging corridors along the Mediterranean’s French/Italian Riviera and England’s South Coast. Listen to this article as a podcast Hellonext, internationally recognized for its advanced DC technology, manufactures a range of 10 commercial and residential EV chargers and battery energy storage systems. It has multiple DC marine installations already operating in Spain. The partnership combines Hellonext’s best-in-class charging hardware with Aqua superPower’s fully integrated digital operating ecosystem designed specifically for marine use. It also reflects the companies’ shared enthusiasm for and commitment to accelerating a European and global transition to electric marine transportation. The world of electric charging – both for land and water transport – is a bit of an alphabet soup of initials that needs some explanation, so bear with me. What we call a charger, or a charging station, is known in the industry as a Charge Point, so the company that operates a charge point (or a bunch of them) is called a CPO – Charge Point Operator. The front end and back end of electric boat charging Each charge point requires a system to manage the energy going in an out, which involves the handling of both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) electricity in various voltages, from low to extremely high. That system is called the Charge Point Management System (CPMS). Most people don’t use the same charge point all the time for their EVehicle or EBoat, so they usually rely on the services of a company that makes things more convenient and streamlined, particularly for payment and reporting on things like how much electricity was transferred at what time. The company that enables and manages those kinds of interactions is called an eMobility Service Provider – EMSP. In the background, the EMSP coordinates with the CPMS (which coordinates with the CPO), your credit card company and maybe other things – like your vehicle or boat – using a Subscriber Identification Module – SIM, like the SIM card on your phone. That assures that every part of the system knows it is you that is using the services. Part of what the EMSP has to do, of course, is make sure that everything can be connected wirelessly and securely from places like marinas and ports. In some cases it may even monitor the state of charge in your electric boat while it’s out on the water. Aqua superPower is a combination of all those things: CPO, CPMS and EMSP. In fact, being all of those things is what makes them attractive to places like marinas and ports. The marina or port only needs to be a location for the charge point. Aqua oversees the installation and coordination with the charge point manufacturer, electric grid and utilities, then manages all of the electricity interactions along with the payment to the utilities and collecting the payment from the end user. Aqua also manages all repairs and maintenance. The marina or port (which does not want to be concerned with any of that!) simply gets a percentage of the revenue. The only thing Aqua doesn’t do is manufacturer the actual charge points, which is where Hellonext comes in. Hellonext has already proven in Spain that they can design and build the hardware necessary to charge things that move on the water. And Aqua’s international network, with charge points from other manufacturers located everywhere from bustling seaports to remote lakeside marinas, has proven that their system can manage the rest, with its global network consistently achieving over 98% uptime. Aqua superPower and Hellonext integrate seamlessly Going forward, Hellonext’s advanced AC and DC charging systems will be seamlessly integrated into Aqua superPower’s backend platform. Aqua will manage end-to-end operations, including remote monitoring, dynamic load balancing, billing, roaming, maintenance coordination, and 24/7 customer support.   One other benefit Aqua superPower brings to the party is the other end of the wire – the hardware and software that goes in the boats themselves. Connectors and systems for electric boats are all compatible with every level of standard EV charging, but there are things that need to be addressed to optimize them and make them safe and trouble-free for marine use. Aqua is already working with and trusted by dozens of electric boat and motor manufacturers as well as combustion boat manufacturers looking at electric possibilities. Hellonext, for their part, is a division of the Petrotec group, which started 40 years ago building fossil fuel filling stations and has more than 200,

Plugboats WAVES (Watts, Amps, Volts, Electrons) is a regular collection of electric boat and boating news items that we have written about before and are updating, or items we are going to write about but are waiting for more information / developments – or items that are just tidbits you might find interesting. Here is WaVeS #29, with electric boat and boating news about: Princeton world speed record holders test at Lake X New electric trimarans for silent, sustainable Arctic cruising Entries open for Polyboat Challenge II E1 Series adds second Africa race to fill 2026 schedule Candela hydrofoiling ferries secure funding to meet rising global demand Winners of French Electric Boat Association Annual Awards China’s Asia Yacht Show adds Expo with electric/hybrid/green focus Check out all of the WaVeS e-boat news collections Listen to this article as a podcast Student world record holders take new electric speedboat to legendary testing waters Princeton University’s Princeton Electric Speedboating team (PES) has completed a series of tests of their latest cutting-edge electric hydroplaning boat – the Eagle 1 – at Mercury Racing’s storied high-performance marine proving waters, Florida’s Lake X. In October of 2024 PES set the certified world electric speed record of 114.20 miles per hour (184.79 kph, 99.24 knots) and they are hoping that the expertise and experience of Mercury Racing can help them set a new one with Eagle 1. Mercury has been crucial to fossil fuel powerboat racing for decades, and also works with both the E1 Series and new Formula 60 electric speedboat racing championships. For the Princeton team, testing at Lake X provides a controlled environment with a mountain of historical data along with on-site safety, rescue and technical support. Read: New Formula 60 electric speedboat racing circuit Eagle 1, the 16.5 foot (5 m) all-electric hydroplane has been designed and built by PES in conjunction with JW Myers from Black Sheep Racing. Carbon fibre decks span the entirety of the 7.5 foot wide (2.1m) vessel. The powertrain is designed to reach over 220 kW (300 hp) of power and has two battery modules, each rated at 356.4 V nominal (388.8 V maximum). Evan Callas, President of Princeton Electric Speedboating said “The experience at Lake X gave us a rare opportunity to validate our electric propulsion system in a world-class environment while pushing performance limits.” The goal for gauging the boat’s capabilities is sustained speeds above 145 mph (235 kph / 126 kts) for up to one minute, although the official 1 kilometre run should only take about 20 seconds. The test session at Lake X, with pilot John Peeters at the helm, successfully represented the vessel’s first operations at these target speeds. The team is aiming to go for a new record later this year. Princeton PES website Electric trimarans receive classification to grow sustainable Arctic tourism opportunities For the past six years Brim Explorer’s electric and hybrid catamarans have provided silent, sustainable cruises on some of Norway’s most beautiful and environmentally delicate fjords. A popular tourist attraction that is among the World’s Top 50 Travel Adventures, the cruises have also been testing grounds for a next generation of electric trimarans purpose-built for conditions in both the fjords and Arctic open seas. The vessels have been developed by Brim Tech, the technology arm of Brim Explorer, and incorporate lightweight structures and a highly optimized hull developed by WIND Naval Architects to minimize energy consumption. Each vessel can accommodate up to 180 passengers. A single charge is expected to provide a range of approximately 100 nautical miles at 20 knots. (185 km at 37 kph / 115 mi at 23 mph). The new ships have been given the blessing of classification society Bureau Veritas, important for large vessels because it certifies that new technologies are integrated safely and reliably. It matters for things like insurance and therefore investment and acceptance by government agencies and large tourism and travel companies. It also adds verifiable credibility to large scale electric and hybrid propulsion as a whole. David Barrow, SVP for Western Europe and Americas at BV, said the project highlights the growing momentum behind electric propulsion in maritime transport. “Bureau Veritas is delighted to partner in bringing these advanced trimarans to life and supporting the safe integration of advanced technologies for sustainable maritime solutions. ” Espen Larsen-Hakkebo, CTO & Co-founder of Brim Explorer, said: “The new trimarans represent the next step in our ‘electric by design’ approach. After six years of operating our boats in tough conditions in Northern Norway and Oslo, we are now able to confidently and excitedly develop a new generation of high-speed, long-range, zero-emission boats.” Brim Explorer Entries open for second Polyboat Challenge Entries are open for the second Polybo

Two global leaders in their fields – McConaghy Yachts and ZeroJet – have come together to launch a new company and new electric jet tender with some game-changing features. McConaghy, founded in 1969, has built many legendary, breakthrough boats over the years that include foiling monohulls, international regatta-winners and show-stopping superyachts. ZeroJet started life in 2014 developing an e-motor for powered surfboards. In 2019 they became one of the first companies in the world to develop electric jet propulsion for boats. Listen to this article as a podcast A new corporate entity – MC-ZERO – fuses the names, expertise and DNA of the two companies and will launch its first model – the MC-ZERO 450 electric jet tender – at the Palm Beach International Boat Show on March 25. Electric jet tender maximizes space Chris Baird, CEO of MC-ZERO, says the engineers and designers started with a totally clean sheet and free rein to throw out the compromises that have had to be built-in to many fossil fuel tenders. That allowed them to create, in Baird’s words, “a boat that adapts to the user, rather than the other way around,” and one that maximizes space with smart functionality. A quick glance at the MC-ZERO 450 leads to the impression that it is a RIB – Rigid Inflatable Boat, but closer inspection reveals that it is actually a carbon hull. The rigid carbon construction has straight inside walls and an integrated outer fender system so that the contour of inflatable pontoons doesn’t take away valuable interior space. The company says the result is “a structurally superior vessel that is lighter, stronger, and maintains its premium finish throughout its lifetime —no inflation or maintenance required”. Those straight walls also allow for flip seats along the sides of the interior. The next obvious thing that sets the new electric jet tender apart is a world-first (and patent pending) ‘moveable helm’ that can be fixed in one of three positions: aft, mid or foredeck. That makes for a modular-type design with huge flexibility. You can slide the helm forward and flip up the seats to clear the deck for a kayak, boards, skis or dive gear, or move it back and flip down the seats to create a social, open-plan for up to eight passengers. When you combine those features with the fact that the electric jet propulsion system is entirely below deck and there are no outboard motors or engine boxes, the overall space savings are big. MC-ZERO says internal volume for the 4.55 metre / ≈ 15 ft boat is 40% greater than on similar-sized traditional RIBs. It also allows for a complete flow-through layout, and MC-ZERO have added a couple of nice touches. At the bow, unfolding electric drop-down steps make getting in and out easier when landing on a beach or in shallow waters. At the stern, there is a transom platform that extends the deck for a wider, more stable surface at water level. Both are deployed with the touch of a button. Twin electric jets add versatility  As for the electric jet propulsion itself, ZeroJet is a company that has taken the lead in this segment of electric propulsion. They offer three motor systems of varying power and battery capacity: 15 kW (≈ 20 hp), 22 kW (≈ 30 hp) and 30 kW (≈ 40 hp). The systems are already integrated into a number of boats from builders that include Highfield, AB Inflatables, Agilis, and others. Similar content: Williams electrifies EvoJet 70  The MC-450 has two of the  30 kW motors and total battery capacity of just over 32 kiloWatt hours, enabling a top speed of 25 knots (46 kph / 29 mph) and a range of 27 nautical miles (50 km / 30 mi) when cruising at 5 knots (9 kph / 6 mph). Those specs make the boat suitable for just about anything a tender is asked to do: quickly transfer guests to and from shore, slowly explore shallow waters, get out to deep waters and  anchor as a dive boat, or anything in between. The near silent operation and zero emissions of electric propulsion is another bonus, appreciated not just by those in the boat, but also fish and other aquatic creatures nearby. The twin jets allow for navigation in the shallowest of waters and precise low-speed manoeuvring in tight spaces. The 48V semi solid state batteries from SAFIERY are a significant feature of the MC-ZERO system and offer significant benefits. Compared to standard li-ion chemistries, semi solid state is less prone to safety problems and can store more energy by weight. The battery pack has a 5 year warranty and expected life of 10,000+ charge and discharge cycles. In addition, the 48 volt architecture is ‘safe-to-touch’, meaning anyone working on the boat does not require any special high voltage training or specialized equipment. It also reduces any electrical risks for those on the boat. While it is always possible to design a more spacious tender, the realities of inflatable pontoons and fossil fuel motors sometimes place a ceiling on what can be accomplished. The

Electric hydrofoiling ferries will soon be arriving ‘down under’ as New Zealand builder Vessev and local expert Enautic partner to bring a new kind of water transport to Perth, the continent’s fourth largest city. Several Vessev VS–9 vessels have been reserved and will operate premium tourism experiences like wine cruises, twilight sailings and private charters. The plan is to expand to commuter route service in the future. Listen to this article as a podcast Vessev was founded in 2018 by Max Olson and Eric Laakmann, a former engineering program leader at Apple. Last year their flying ferries made their debut as the first certified electric hydrofoiling vessel to enter the fleet of a commercial operator (as opposed to publicly-owned municipal transport authority). Flying tourist boats operating in New Zealand  Two VS-9s are operated by New Zealand’s largest ferry transport and tourism operator, Fullers360. They each carry up to 10 passengers around Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour, providing panoramic views of the city, the Harbour Bridge and islands of the Huaraki Gulf. Vessev says the two units have logged close to 10,000 Nautical miles (18,500 km / 11,500 mi). Hydrofoiling is a technology that uses foils – basically underwater airplane wings – that lift the boat out of the water, eliminating the water resistance of the hull. That means much less energy is required to move the boat, and there is almost no wake. Energy usage can be reduced by as much as 85%, which is great for improving both the finances of the flying ferry operator and electric boat range – up to  50 nautical miles (92 km / 57 mi) in the case of the VS-9. The no-wake aspect is important for two reasons. In Auckland the main benefit is that the flying ferry can operate in sensitive waters without disturbing the ecosystem. In Perth the main benefit is that the VS-9 can go faster in restricted areas. Cruise through restricted no wake zones Where other large commercial ferries are typically limited to speeds of 5–8 knots ( 9-15 kph / 6-9 mph) along much of the Swan, the wake-free VS–9 can cruise at 25 knots (46 kph / 29 mph). This enables dramatically faster travel times and opens the door to a new model of water-based commuter and tourism transport. Enautic, the Perth-based Australian company working with Vessev, started out as Electri.nautic in 2019, working with the University of Western Australia to develop the world’s first hydrofoiling jetski, the WaveFlyer. Read about the beginnings of Enautic In 2025 they expanded their horizons. In addition to producing and developing other small hydrofoilers – the RIB 310, Volaré and ROGUE – Enautic also works with companies like Vessev to promote electric propulsion and electric hydrofoiling in particular. One division, Little Ferry, operates a solar ferry in Perth and another, Aqua Flights, rents e-foiling boards on the Swan River. The Vessev arrangement is with Aqua Flights. The project is being led by aerospace engineer and entrepreneur Josh Portlock, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Enautic Group.  Portlock says electric hydrofoiling represented a major opportunity to rethink how cities use their waterways. “Hydrofoiling is what makes electric water transport genuinely viable. It delivers the speed, range and sustainability you need without compromise,” Portlock says. “The VS–9 is exactly the type of vessel that makes this model possible.” Electric flying ferries around the world Vessev is not alone. Swedish electric hydrofoiling developer Candela was the first company to have an operating vessel, which services a commuter route in Stockholm. MobyFly of Switzerland has had successful tests on Lake Geneva and the UK’s Artemis Technologies has delivered a 24 passenger ferry to Brittany Ferries in Belfast. About Perth, Portlock says “Starting with premium tourism allows people to experience the technology first-hand while laying the groundwork for a future where electric hydrofoiling becomes one of the fastest and most sustainable ways to move around the city.” Eric Laakmann of Vessev said the Australian announcement reflected growing global momentum for electric hydrofoiling. “We’re seeing cities around the world rediscovering their waterways because of what electric hydrofoiling unlocks. Australia is a natural fit, and businesses like the Enautic Group are leading that shift.” The first vessels are expected to be delivered in early 2027. Vessev is working collaboratively with applicable classification societies and local regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with all local requirements for this innovative vessel type. Vessev website  Enautic website The post Australia latest country to get electric flying ferries appeared first on Plugboats.

An electric boat speed record set last September has now set the stage for a whole new speedboat racing series, the Formula 60 Electric Speedboat Championship. Together with the global E1 Championships launched in 2024, these competitions demonstrate the ever-rising interest in electric boat propulsion. Last year German electric boat motor manufacturer Molabo began working with three partners –  boatbuilder Kaiser Bootsmanufaktur, Team Tech-ouT E-Racing and green mobility expert Protenergies, to retrofit Molabo’s 50 kW ARIES 48 V drive system into a combustion-powered Formula-4 (F4) boat. Listen to this article as a podcast The F4 boats are 3.9 m (≈ 13 ft) ‘tunnel catamarans’ with a wing or aerofoil built-in to their design. The class is very popular across Western Europe, the U.K, and Middle East. In the internal combustion version they can be powered by the four-stroke 60 EFI Racing or 60 APX, both 60 horsepower outboards and both from Mercury Racing. The Molabo ARIES is rated at approximately 80 hp and the boat established an electric F4 world speed record of 91.5 kph (55 mph) on a one kilometre course. The speeds were clocked and verified by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), the global governing body of powerboat racing. Speedboats use Molabo 48V safe-to-touch technology “The acceleration is noticeably stronger than combustion engines” said Mael Touchet, who piloted the boat for Team Tech-ouT E-Racing, “and from the cockpit, you feel other big differences: it’s much quieter, and vibrations are greatly reduced,”  The remarkable thing about the motor is not the torque and smooth operation – which all electric motors deliver – but that this kind of power is achieved using only 48 Volts. It is Molabo’s ISCAD patented technology motor that makes it possible, and makes it  the only electric outboard able to produce 50kW of power at safe-to-touch voltage. For recreational and commercial boat owners, that safe-to-touch 48 volts means that installation and maintenance of Molabo drives – outboard, inboard or hybrid – does not require specially trained or certified technicians. That in turn reduces installation and other costs. “Low-voltage systems are especially important in racing” says Philippe Touchet of Team Tech-ouT E-Racing. “Non-certified users can work on the boat and for UIM safety requirements, if a boat flips and the cockpit floods, both driver and rescue divers remain safe from high-voltage risks. That’s an important factor in making electric racing safer and more accessible for more teams.” Read Plugboats coverage of the international E1 electric speedboat series The record-setting run was a decisive proof of concept. Jean-Jacques Bucher, President of the Yacht Moteur Club de France, said at the time “This isn’t just about today’s run, it’s also about making an important step toward electrifying the speedboat racing world”. Formula 60 Electric Speedboat Championships inviting teams Now the mission is becoming a reality. The Formula 60 Electric Speedboat Championship will debut under the auspices of the French Powerboat Federation (FFM) with four confirmed race weekends scheduled in France this summer: June 7/8: Albi June 27/28: Mâcon August 29/30: Chalon-sur-Saône September 5/6: Caen. The initiative has been developed in alignment with key industry stakeholders, including the UIM and Mercury Racing, both of whom also partner with the E1 Series. International expansion of Formula 60 under the UIM framework is planned for the 2027 race season. Molabo and Protenergies are ready to provide Molabo’s ARIES system – including a new lightweight, swappable battery pack – to any F4 team looking to convert their motors to electric. The companies are also inviting others to join the F-60 Championships as Founding Teams who will participate in developing competitive and technical parameters for the new class. “The transition to electric is technically straightforward,” said Adrian Patzak, CCO, Molabo. “With the championship launch confirmed, the inaugural Formula 60 Electric grid is now being finalized, with a limited number of team spots still available.” He adds that technical briefings and integration planning sessions will be scheduled in the coming weeks. Teams interested in learning more should contact [email protected] before March 29, 2026. Molabo website  Kaiser website The post June launch for new Formula 60 Electric Speedboat Championship appeared first on Plugboats.

Nice, one of the Mediterranean’s most historic ports and seaside destinations, is presenting a new public boat show and industry forum that focusses exclusively on electric, hydrogen, solar, hybrid and other sustainable boat and boating technologies. Nice Boating Tomorrow has an impressive first year line-up of more than 80 exhibitors and 30 boats in-water, where visitors will be able to take part in sea trials and experience first-hand the performance, comfort and smoothness of clean propulsion systems. Listen to this article as a podcast The in-water exhibition will feature established shipyards alongside innovative start-ups and include everything from electric jetskis and dayboats to clean-energy cruising catamarans. Exhibitors are based in France, Finland, Croatia, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy and Monaco. In-water show, on land exhibits, international forum Electric motors, battery systems, solar panels, hybridization technologies, wind-assisted propulsion and more will be onshore along with boat retrofit solutions. Beyond electric vessels, visitors can explore sustainability options like deck coverings, eco-designed sails, bio-sourced nautical apparel and the services of naval architecture firms, eco-design studios and shared boating platforms. The four day public show (March 19 – 22) is centred around Quai Infernet , near the old town of Nice, and coordinates with an industry forum taking place the 19th and 20th at the OcéaNice Conference Centre in the centre of the city. The forum features conferences and expert panels addressing the key challenges and opportunities shaping sustainable boating in the centre of the city. Below are some highlighted electric boats and boating exhibitors at Quai Infernet and a schedule of the forum events that have electric propulsion as their topic. There is also an expandable guide that lists all electric boat exhibitors at the show and includes links to their websites. City of Nice and Grand Pavois Organization The impetus for Nice Boating Tomorrow came about partly because the OcéaNice centre hosted 2025’sThird United Nations Ocean Conference. The momentum from that show – and the importance of sustainable navigation to Nice and the Mediterranean in general, prompted the mayor of Nice, M. Christian Estrosi, to reach out to the organizers of the Grand Pavois La Rochelle boat show. The goal is to create “The first international boating event dedicated exclusively to sustainable boating, designed to become the leading global reference for tomorrow’s boating industry, fostering innovation visibility, exchange, collaboration and best practices in eco-navigation.” Over the past 7 years Plugboats has covered a number of new shows, in various countries that focus on electric boats and boating. The quantity and quality of exhibitors and the broad industry support for the first Nice Boating Tomorrow – along with the city itself and the expertise and experience of the Grand Pavois Organization – bode well for this and future editions. Directory of Electric Boat Exhibitors at Nice Boating Tomorrow 2026 Click to Open   +   or  –  Close a Directory of all electric exhibitors. Selected e-boat and motor highlights of the show are below Click any tile for company information and links. Association Française du Bateau Electrique bateau-electrique.com/ [email protected] 33 (0) 6 72 99 16 84work L’Association Française pour le Bateau Electrique a été créée en 1994 à Bordeaux par des partenaires issus d’horizons professionnels différents – universitaires, chercheurs, ingénieurs et industriels – soucieux de développer l’image et le marché du bateau électrique en France comme à l’étranger. The French Association for Electric Boats was created in 1994 in Bordeaux by partners from different professional disciplines – academics, researchers, engineers and industrialists – concerned with developing the image and the market of electric boats in France and elsewhere. Location: Paris, France Bateaux Pour la Planete bateauxpourlaplanete.com [email protected] +33 (0) 6.88.40.76.21work Bateau pour la planète est un constructeur de bateaux électro-solaires destinés à la navigation fluviale décarbonée. Ces bateaux electro-solaires destinés à la navigation fluviale décarbonée sont 100% autonomes en énergie. Example avec la “Coche d’eau Solaire”, un concept de catamaran fluvial: la motorisation électrique alimentée par un générateur photovoltaique embarqué assure une navigation économe et silencieuse. Sa conception avec des matériaux recylcables en fera le premier bateau de plaisance entièrement recyclable. 1280 avenue des platanes – 34970 Casseneuil, France Bavaria Yachts bavariayachts.com BlueNav [email protected]   bluenav.fr sales @ bluenav.fr +33 (0)5 56 83 70 25 Boatee boatee.it info(at)boatee(dot)it Italy Competr competr.it Day One Boats day1.fr Dhamma

Spanish boatyard Dhamma Blue has developed a hydrogen fuel cell and lithium battery hybrid propulsion system that gives their flagship DHB-P01 model all of the range and speed many recreational boaters would ever need – without pumping carbon dioxide and noxious fumes into the atmosphere. Listen to this article as a podcast The system has four core elements: Hydrogen tank holding 350 Litres / 8.4 kilograms at a pressure of 350 bar (5,000 psi) Fuel cell converting hydrogen to electricity  Battery with storage capacity of 63 kiloWatt hours 140 kW (190 hp) electric motor with shaft line transmission In some hydrogen electric hybrid systems, like those used in the America’s Cup chase boats, the fuel cells and battery are linked up in series: the hydrogen tank feeds → the fuel cells, which convert → the hydrogen to electricity that feeds / charges → the battery, which powers →  the motor. In the DHB-P01 system the cells and battery are linked to the motor in parallel, meaning either – or both – can power the motor. An ECU (Engine Control Unit) adjusts the input as necessary depending on the speed and load required. In general, the fuel cells are used for slower speeds / longer range and the battery for higher speeds / shorter bursts. Green hydrogen + batteries = zero carbon emission This hydrogen electric hybrid system provides the same benefits as a diesel  electric hybrid: extending the boat’s range beyond the limits the battery’s energy storage can deliver on its own. A hydrogen electric system, though, is a lot cleaner than one using fossil fuels because the only thing emitted is water vapour. There may be carbon emissions when the hydrogen is produced using a process called steam reformation, but when it is produced using electricity in a process called electrolysis, there are no carbon emissions when that electricity comes from renewable sources like wind and solar. Read the Plugboats article: The Colours of Hydrogen That is called ‘green hydrogen’ and it is where Dhamma Blue began. One of the company’s co-founders, Philippe Esposito, is a pioneering leader in Spain’s renewable energy sector who also co-founded one of the country’s largest developers of green hydrogen, H2 Energy. The company builds large solar farms that use the generated electricity to produce hydrogen through electrolysis. Projects are underway not only in Spain but also in Portugal and Mexico. The other Dhamma Blue founder is Robin Imaz, a marine engineer, naval architect, and professional sailor for 15 years who has won multiple world championship races. He has done everything from design and optimization of racing sailing yachts to structural and cost optimization studies to complete design for both power and sailing yachts. With the DHB-P01 Imaz and his team have put together a boat that is a delight to be on, with the enjoyment enhanced by the silence of the motor and the lack of noxious fumes. This quick video can give you an idea of how quiet the ride is. You can also see that this boat can move. With a 140 kw (190 hp) motor that can produce peak power of 210 kw (285 hp), the DB P01 has top speed of 28 kts (52 kph / 32 mph).  That gives plenty of zip for water sports and, since water sports only require high speeds when the rider is up, the hydrogen fuel cell extends the amount of time (or number of times) that everyone can go out for a spin. At cruising speed (12 knots / 22 kph/ 14 mph) the DB P01 can cover 65 Nautical miles: 120 kilometres / 75 miles. Hydrogen electric hybrid good at a lot of things Imaz says “What I am most proud of is that this boat can do a lot of things. Many boats can do one thing very very well, but are not as good for others. But people don’t always want to do the same thing in their boat, to always have the same experience. Sometimes they want to have a long slow sail with family or friends, maybe take a swim in a quiet cove…other times they have fun by going skiing or wakeboarding…and sometimes they may want to go for a longer distance but at a reasonable speed because of time reasons. They can do all of these with the DHB-P01.” Onboard, the feel is one of openness and high quality reflected in a clean, unpretentious design. The 2.55m (8′ 4″) beam provides plenty of room for a pilot and  passenger seat up front,  two seats behind and day/sunbeds stretching towards a swimming platform at the stern. Naval Architect and Marine Engineer Carlos Orive, a key member of Imaz’ team, says melding the propulsion system with the deck layout and design led to some boater-friendly solutions. The different weights of the motor, battery, fuel cells, hydrogen tanks, had to be arranged to provide the best balance for both planing and non-planing uses and for ‘refueling’ with hydrogen and electricity. One of the outcomes was the split sunbed idea – one slightly wider than the

Norwegian company Evoy was one of the first in the world to develop all electric boat motors with power ratings of 100 kilowatts and beyond. They now have lines of high powered outboards and inboard systems like the Breeze 120+ HP, Storm 330+ HP and Hurricane 400+ HP that are on the transoms and in the hulls of dozens of vessels from leading boat yards around the world. One of those is Axopar. I was able to chat with Leif out on the water in an Evoy propelled AX/E 25 at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, and then back on land after the Metstrade boating trade show, where Evoy and sister companies Vita and Taiga had announced some exciting and groundbreaking battery news. This article is a lightly edited transcription of the podcast interview with Stavøstrand in which he talks about the past, present and future of electric boating. Listen to this article as a podcast SCENE: Speaking in the ‘go-slow / no-wake zone’ at the Cannes Yachting Festival Plugboats: Leif, when you and I first talked, I had just started Plugboats, and you had just started Evoy. Leif Stavøstrand: Yeah, it’s been a few years. We started in 2018, I think, and you and I talked pretty much the first year. So it’s been seven years now. PB: And does it seem like seven years…or five seconds…or a couple of lifetimes… LS: It’s funny, when you look back at time, it seems like it’s fast, but like you say, it’s kind of been a lifetime. You can have really good news and really bad news in the same day, and you have this roller coaster of emotions and news. Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solsberg launched the electric boat Evoy1 on August 2, 2019 PB: And as I recall, it didn’t take you long to go from the concept to reality. LS: We brought the product to market pretty early, which was a conscious choice. It also meant that our customer knew in the early days that there could be hiccups, but that we would be there to help them when stuff occurred, and I think that has been the right choice for us. Instead of doing R&D for 10 years, we got to adapt the product to customer feedback. PB: and that’s been helpful? LS: Yes, the customers sometimes manage to provoke things that we don’t see when we do our testing. It’s like, oh, yeah, you can do… ‘Oh, we hadn’t thought about doing it like that. Okay, let’s adapt to that’. So that’s been good for us PB: And overall, has the adoption of electric propulsion been faster or slower than you thought LS: I think we did expect things to move quicker. I think everyone did. Looking at the car market, it’s maybe not so surprising that things do take time, and it’s really different from region to region and country to country, because you have some markets that quite ready. Electric car markets more ready for electric boats But if there is a generalization, you could say that markets that are heavy on electric cars are typically also more interested and ready to go electric with boats. Where we see really good traction is often where there’s incentives in place. That really helps a lot. We’re seeing a good uptake in the U.S., both East Coast, West Coast, and we also have a good uptake in Norway, and there’s some along the Mediterranean. There’s some in Sweden, and there’s the commercial side – aquaculture, strong port and harbour, some tourism. We have quite a bit in there, tenders used for going out on the water with 12 passengers or so. We have got a few of those. PB: And what’s the split between new boats and repowers or refits? LS: It’s mostly new boats. I think the driver there is that when people are getting a new shiny electric system, they typically combine it with upgrading the boat at the same time. I think we’re probably at somewhere between 80 to 90% on new boats versus retrofitting. We think that percentage might change over time, especially when we get like, cost down, then it will be easier for people to think, okay, my my motor is about to conk out here, and price isn’t that much more for for electric in many ways, with the outboard. Then again, the inboard is about 50% smaller than your normal inboard. In some cases 60%, in some cases 40%, but as a rule of thumb, about 50% smaller in volume. The AX/E 25 was developed in partnership with Axopar Boats. PB: That’s interesting that markets where electric cars are going well are also good for electric boats. LS: Yes, with those that have electric cars, it’s a whole different conversation. People that are experienced with trying. Charging and how it works, and that they have to plan a little bit when it comes to how they use their car. They bring that state of mind into the boat as well. So it’s a lot easier conversation to have. SCENE: The boat we were out on with Leif was an AX/E 25, one of the models Evoy worked on with Axopar boats to create a line of electric models. T

Coming off an exciting second year where only nine points separated the top two teams after the season’s seven races, the 2026 E1 Electric Speedboat Championship Series kicked off in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with last year’s 4th place finisher overall leaping to an early top spot. Listen to this article as a podcast Launched in Jeddah in January 2024, the E1 Series features ten teams racing the one design ‘RaceBird’ all-electric hydrofoiling speedboats at events held in top international ports and waterways. Each team is owned by a noted figure in the worlds of sport, entertainment and business and is led by a female and male pilot who compete in mixed genre races throughout the season. There are no ‘men’s races’ and ‘women’s races’, they are all on equal footing.  See Plugboats coverage of all races in the E1 Series 2025 Championship: Jeddah  Doha  Dubrovnik  Maggiore  Monaco  Lagos  Miami The goal of the series, aside from deciding ‘The Champions of the Water’, is to publicize and promote cutting-edge clean technologies while helping to protect and restore our planet’s coastal waters and ecosystems.  Two new teams, two new host cities for 2026 There have been some changes to the schedule since last year. The 2025 races were held in Jeddah, Doha (Qatar), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Lago Maggiore (Italy), Monaco, Lagos (Nigeria) and Miami (USA). Doha will not be in this year’s schedule, but the season has nevertheless been expanded to 9 races with new stops in the Bahamas in October and a to-be-determined site in September. The Lago Maggiori race has been switched over to nearby Lake Como, where the Italian leg of the E1 was held the first year. As for the teams, there are now nine. Carrying over from last year are (in order of finish): Team Brady, owned by former NFL quarterback Tom Brady; Team Rafa, owned by tennis legend Rafael Nadal; Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is owner of Team Blue Rising; DJ / Producer Steve Team AlUlA is championed by the NBA’s Lebron James; Team Drogba is owned by Ivory Coast footballer Didier Drogba; and Team Miami by multi-Grammy winner Marc Anthony. Entrepreneur Marcel Claure’s Team Brazil finished 6th last year, but decided to opt out of the third season, with the new Sierra Racing Team taking its place. Sierra is majority-owned by Sierra Enterprises, a Turkish-American concern that brings aerospace innovation and space technology expertise to the Series. The team livery draws inspiration from Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser reusable spaceplane that is designed to transport cargo to low-Earth orbit and back, using runway landings on return. Rounding out the number of teams to ten is Team Monaco, where the the first two seasons of the E1 Series have been an exciting addition to the principality’s famed schedule of on-water and on-street races. Some new pilots, some switching teams Along with the team changes came some pilot juggling. Team Brazil’s female pilot Ieva Millere-Hagin went to Team Drogba and male pilot Timmy Hansen went to Team Miami. Erik Stark went from Team Miami to Sierra, with Catie Munnings coming over from Team AlUla. Continuing the musical cockpits, Team Drogba gave up the youngest pilot in the loop – nineteen year old Oban Duncan – to Team Monaco. She is joined there by ten time World Kite Surfing Champion Maxime Nocher who will see if he can continue his success with electric speedboating. Other new pilots are former car racer Nerea Martí on Team AlUla and Uruguayan Patricia Pita Gago, who came from the rally driving circuit, on Team Miami. To add a bit of symmetry, E1 pilot Sara Misir moved from Team Blue Rising to Team Aoki with Mashael AlObaidan returning the favour.  We will get to the Jeddah race, I promise, but first a word about the format and rules. Electric Speedboat Series Rules and Strategies (Click to + expand or – close the rules) E1 SERIES: RULES Championship: Ten teams race over 9 weekends, with points awarded for finishing place, along with some bonus points for specific achievements. The Champions of the Water are the team that accumulates most points by the end of the season. Events: Each event is held over two days, usually a Friday and Saturday. Qualifying time trials and races are held on Day One. Day Two has Group Races which decide two of the finalists, the Race Off to determine the other four finalists, the Place Race, and two Finals races – so both the female and male co-pilots of each team help determine the outcome. The Finals and Place Race dictate the Championship Points awarded for each weekend. Points Awarded: Points are awarded for each placing every weekend with the Champion having the most points at the end of the season. 1st: 38  |  2nd: 30 |  3rd: 23 |  4th: 19 |  5th: 15 |  6th: 13 |  7th: 9 |  8th:  8 |  9th: 5 |  10th: 3.

Fresh off the launch of the ePropulsion 2.0 electric outboard last November, the company has announced an addition to their E-Series of batteries. The new E-100 can to be used to add range to lower kiloWatt ePropulsion outboards and pod motors and also to power some of the company’s higher kilowatt motors. Listen to this article as a podcast The E100 joins the E60 and E163 as the middle entry in the E-Series battery line-up. Like all the E-Series batteries it is built on ePropulsion’s 48V architecture and is designed for scalability with the company’s line of smaller electric motors from 1 kiloWatts to 6 kW: the Spirit 1.0, new Spirit 2.0, Navy 3.0 and Navy 6.0 outboards; and the Navy 3.0 and Navy 6.0 pod drives. Same Voltage, different Amp hours / kiloWatt hours The batteries all uses Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry, also call LiFePo4 or LFP. The advantage is that it is more stable and affordable than chemistries like the more common NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt), but it does not store as much energy per unit of weight. The distinguishing feature between the three batteries is how much current each can provide over a specified amount of time – measured in Amp hours (Ah) – and the energy storage capacity – measured in kiloWatt hours (kWh). Read about the new ePropulsion 2.0 outboard The E60 provides 60 Ah and just over 3 kWh of energy storage capacity, the E100 provides 100 Ah and just over 5 kWh and the E163, provides 163 Ah and just under 8.5 kWh of energy storage. It is voltage that determines the size of motor a battery can run – the power. It is Amp hours and kiloWatt hours that determine how long the motor can run – the range. E100 battery can be connected in parallel or series For the Spirit 1.0 and new 2.0 electric outboards, using an E100 instead of an E60 battery increases range by 66%. The E100 is also a practical energy source for the Navy outboards and pods. Before the arrival of the E100 the Navy models required an E163 to get a reasonable range and water time for those 3 and 6 kiloWatt motors. Or, you could connect two R60 batteries in parallel, which maintains the voltage at 48 while doubling the energy storage from 3 to 6 kiloWatthours. But two R60s also doubles the weight of the battery system from 33 kg (73 lb) to 66 kg (146 lb). Using a single E-100 provides a nice solution for the Navy 3 and 6. The range is 80% of the two smaller batteries, but requires only 70% of the weight. What is new and sets the E100 apart from the other batteries in the line not the kiloWatt hour capacity, though, is the voltage potential. Like the other E-Series batteries, the E100 can be connected to itself in parallel, but what sets it apart from the others in the line is that it can also be connected in series.       Flexible positioning, integration In the main illustration at the top of this article above you can see this feature in practice on a small RIB – Rigid Inflatable Boat – powered with two E100s and an X 12 outbord. The batteries are connected and one is situated in the forward section of the boat, the other in the aft. The low-profile design enables installation under seating or within confined compartments and makes it simple to split the location of the batteries and distribute weight in a small boat. The all-metal construction is weather-resistant, impact-resistant, and drop-proof. A dedicated mounting bracket and removable decorative trim expand storage and integration options. Thr 96 volt configuration also unlocks rapid charging capabilities. The E100 has a raft of other features that make the switch to electric propulsion more convenient and practical. Integration with third-party gateways allows communication with a wide range of popular onboard systems to support smart energy management and system monitoring including real-time State of Charge (SoC). A fully integrated Battery Management System ensures maximum safety and the E100 has a life expectancy of up to 3,000 cycles while maintaining 80% State of Health (SoH). “We’re very proud to launch the E100 as the newest addition to ePropulsion’s E-Series batteries,” said Danny Tao, co-founder and CEO of ePropulsion. “This new battery is ready to consistently deliver reliability and high-performance to ePropulsion electric motors. We’re certain that users will appreciate its compact design for concealed installation, as well as its expandability to bring boaters sustainable power, no matter their vessel’s requirements.” The chart below shows some of the properties of the E-Series battery line and the ways in which they can be used. For full specs, including things like Max Continuous Discharging Current, there is a chart on the ePropulsion website ePropulsion website ePropulsion E-Series Batteries   E60 E163 E100 Voltage (Rated) 48 V (51.2 V) 48 V (51.2 V) 48 V (51.2 V) Amp Hours 60 Ah 163 Ah 100 Ah Storage Capacity 3072 Wh 8345 Wh 5120 Wh Weight 33 kg (73 lb) 76 kg (168 lb) 48.5 kg  (107 lb) Dimensi

Seeing electric pontoon-style boats as a big growth opportunity, Vision Marine Technologies has launched a new electric tritoon – the SPECTR – with the E-Motion 180E electric outboard, P Pontoon battery system and passive hydrofoiling. It delivers both plenty of speed to get out to open waters or favourite spots along with plenty of range to do what pontoon owners love to do – enjoy hours and hours  of quality time on the water. Listen to this article as a podcast The whole configuration and usage of a pontoon/tritoon lends itself to taking best advantage of electric propulsion. Overall water resistance (and therefore the energy needed to travel through it) is lower than with a single hull, the weight of the batteries can be distributed across the large platform area between the pontoons, users are not usually looking to go long distances at high speed, and the silence and lack of fumes makes a perfect atmosphere for enjoying water time with friends and family. Not just an ordinary tritoon hull, the SPECTR takes things a step further with an advanced passive foiling technology developed in collaboration with Hydrofin. The foil – with an airplane wing type silhouette – runs crossways between the pontoons and lifts the pontoons at planing speed. That further reduces energy requirements while also stabilizing the boat and improving ride dynamics and overall performance. On top of this is a fiberglass monocoque body with a thoughtfully designed interior layout that delivers a clean, modern aesthetic and a premium onboard environment. The boat is powered by Vision’s E-Motion 180E electric outboard and P PowerPack battery system. The E-Motion 180E was launched in 2020 as one of the first high power / high voltage electric outboards. Engineered from the ground up for marine use, it delivers continuous power of 130 kW (180 hp) at the propeller. Electric tritoon’s specially developed battery system It was twin 180Es that powered the S2 Racing catamaran to an electric boat speed record at the famed Lake of The Ozarks Shootout in 2023 and the motor system has been incorporated into over 20 boat models, including the Aquasport AS DC Dual Console, Sterk 31, new SPECTR and two other pontoons, the V24 and V30. READ: Behind the scenes at the setting of the electric boat speed record The P Powerpack battery system that provides the electricity for the 180E has been developed specifically for pontoon manufacturers to deliver a a streamlined, plug-and-play system. It has been developed over three years and tested for over a thousand hours of sea trials in Florida’s salt water. It addresses one of the obstacles to wider use of electric propulsion: lack of boat builder experience with installation processes and protocols. The P Powerpack makes it straightforward, simple and swift, using minimal connection requirements in a turnkey solution that reduces the risks of complex setups. It also helps instill confidence by offering builders a safe, reliable and proven way to ‘go electric’. Developed in concert with Octillion, Vision’s strategic partner in battery manufacturing and integration, the P Powerpack has been designed to be the same size or smaller than a typical fuel tank, making it easier to electrify an existing boat. It can be easily lowered onto the pontoon floor, then securely anchored and attached to the pontoon’s electrical harness with just three wires. It comes in three configurations: Single Battery (43 kiloWatt hours), Dual (86 kWh) and Triple (129 kWh). The interior of the SPECTR has all of the room pontoon boats are famous for, but with a flexible layout with that provides comfortable seating for up to 10 passengers, along with fold down settee benches and amenities like built in coolers. The cockpit / helm area sports dual 10” touch screens with instant views of motor and battery performance along with master controls for the bluetooth-enabled sound system. Available through Nautical Ventures network In 2025 Vision Marine purchased award-winning boat dealership group Nautical Ventures and has expanded the retailer’s offerings beyond fossil fuel boats with a division focussing on electric boats, PWCs and water toys. From a market perspective, the pontoon and tritoon segment represents a sizable and expanding category within recreational boating, and electric versions are expected to increase their share of the estimated 70,000 units sold each year in North America. “SPECTR reflects how we bring electric propulsion to market,” said Alexandre Mongeon, Chief Executive Officer of Vision Marine. “By introducing a platform designed around real-world boating conditions and supporting it through our retail and service network, we are advancing our strategy of deploying electric technology in established, high-volume boating segments.” Vision Marine Technologies   Nautical Ventures The post Vision Marine launches new SPECTR electric tritoon with passive hydrofoil appeared first on Plugboats.

The 8th edition of the India Boat & Marine Show (IBMS) provides a great demonstration of the rise of electric propulsion in one of the world’s largest countries, where solar energy grew by almost 30 GigaWatts in 2025 to reach a total capacity of 135 gW throughout the nation. Along with the growth in solar farms there has been a growth in solar electric ferries for municipal and commercial transport. Now the enthusiasm for zero-emission propulsion is spilling into the leisure market. Listen to this article as a podcast The IBMS being held at the Bolgatty Palace Event Centre and Kochi International Marina January 29 – 31, has emerged as the country’s premier boating and water transport marketplace in an industry undergoing rapid change and innovations. India is a huge country of over 3.25 million square kilometers (1.3 M sq mi) where boat building innovations and inventions are taking place in many regions. The show is the one event where those innovations, challenges and ideas and the people who create them can come together to celebrate their achievements, network and exchange ideas for the future. Cochin has become a hub for ship repair and ship building with the Cochin shipyard at the centre of it, one of the few facilities in the world to have built an aircraft carrier. The nearby city of Kochi (the names Cochin and Kochi are interchangeable) has a water-based public transport system, the Kochi Water Metro, that has commissioned over 75 e-boats covering 15 routes. One of the boats from the system won the Gustave Trouvé Electric Boat Awards in 2022 for ‘Electric Commercial Passenger Vessel’ and Navalt, the country’s premier producer of electric and solar-electric boats, has been a finalist in numerous categories over the five years of the awards, winning the inaugural ‘Gussies’ in 2020. Both companies will be at the IBMS as part of a total of 65 exhibitors from all sectors of India’s inland water transportation industry including commercial, leisure/rescue boating and water sports. About 1/5 of those companies are involved in electric propulsion. Among them are exhibitors who build electric boats for both commercial and leisure use – we have concentrated on the leisure – along with two electric outboard manufacturers, two dealers and a electric waterbike maker. Those are highlighted below, and this pop-open Directory lists all electric exhibitors along with links to their websites and other contact information. Directory of Electric Boat Exhibitors at India Boat & Marine Show 2026 Click to Open   +   or  –  Close a Directory of all electric exhibitors. Selected motor and accessories highlights of the show are below Click any tile for company information and links. ABS Marine Engineering absmarineengineering.com [email protected] 09744 384122work ABS Marine Engineering has a team of professionally trained marine engineers & technician to deliver professional solutions for all your vessel need. Aismar Boats aismarboats.com India Boat & Marine Show indiaboatshow.in [email protected] +91 8893304450work January 29 – 31, 2026 Bolgatty Palace Event Centre Cochin, India India Boat & Marine Show 2026 will showcase leading a wide range of national & international boat brands, marine engines and a wide range of water sports equipment from across the country. This event is currently the only Boating & Marine expo happening in India for the leisure, rescue, maritime and boating sectors and will attract buyers from across the region. It will be an ideal opportunity for Boat, Motor & Equipment Suppliers from all over the region to target buyers from this region. In addition to boats, marine engines, navigational systems, rescue boats, leisure sail boats, water skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking, scuba diving and fishing equipment among others will also be on display. Entry : Free entry on registration. Exhibition Timings: 11:00 AM – 7.00 PM on all Days Litmus Marine litmusmarine.in Matha Marines mathamarines.co.in NavAlt navaltboats.com +91-484-2543609work Navalt is an eco-marine tech company that specializes in the manufacturing of solar electric vessels. Winner of two Gustave Trouvé Awards, in 2020 and 2022, Navalt has always pushed the boundaries of what is possible with regard to building more efficient vessels. Our sheer focus on electrification and attention to design have always been the two solid pillars on which we continue to create amazing results. We have over 21 years of experience, and our boats have safely and successfully transported close to 2 million people to date. Today, we have established ourselves as a boat builder and a data science company. We offer a wide range of ferries and special purpose boats that provide the convenience of water transportation in a new era of zero emission and an environmentally-friendly approach to boat design. Oceanix, our marine data science division, harnes

VETUS, one of the first companies to offer an electric inboard motor for leisure boats, has unveiled the new E-LINE 22 kW as the highest powered motor in an extended electric propulsion model range. That E-LINE range now includes a total of seven motors. Three air-cooled models: the E-LINE Air 7kW and E-LINE Air 5kW with 24 or 48V architecture; and four liquid cooled models: the E-LINE 6kW, 8kW, 11kW and new 22kW. They also offer the E-POD 10kW Electric Propulsion System and a variety of bow thrusters including the RIMDRIVE RD125 and RD160 (the 125 and 160 refer to kilograms of thrust). Listen to this article as a podcast VETUS is one of the world’s largest sources for boat systems, with over 4,000 items available in their catalogue. The company operates a huge online store as well as having a worldwide network of hundreds of associated dealers and points of sale. First VETUS electric boat motor launched in 1982 They are known for numerous innovations designed to make life better for boaters, including the world’s first electric bow thruster for pleasure craft, introduced in 1982, and the original EP2200 electric inboard that was launched more than a quarter of a century ago, in 2000. The 22kW power of the new E-LINE is about equivalent to a 30 hp combustion motor, bringing all the advantages of an electric drive including instant acceleration, and torque of 130 Newton metres (96 ft lb).  Read: Canalboat installs VETUS electric propulsion system All motors in the E-LINE range have been designed for easy installation on almost any existing engine mounts or foundations.The supplied Swap & Go mounting brackets, with motor mounts specifically developed for electric propulsion motors, can easily be adjusted in height and set to angle the shaft to 0° or 8°. This makes repowering and connecting to an existing propeller shaft a simple task. The patented VETUS E-Drive motor controllers (MCVs), specially developed for electric boating, feature an integrated step-up battery charger capable of charging a 48V lead-acid battery bank using a 24V power supply. Another unique feature is active braking, which gives users natural and full control over the boat. E-LINE developed as modular system VETUS range management technologies enable boaters to get the most out of the battery bank and for sailing boats, the company’s Sailing Assist firmware smoothes the transition between sailing and electric propulsion to optimize energy efficiency. All components are part of the E-LINE’s modular design architecture that enables boaters to upgrade their system at any time with different options in control levers, shunt, and displays. The system uses the V-CAN modular digital CAN-bus communication system. One of the benefits of a VETUS electric motor is the company’s range of compatible products, including shafts, propellers, seats, and more. Fully customized configurations tailored to the specific requirements of different boats are possible and are supported by the VETUS worldwide E-dealer network of experienced technicians for advice on both new builds or repowering an existing boat. VETUS pod motors and rimdrive Another solution for boaters looking to go electric is the E-POD 10kW Propulsion System that opens up space in a boat by getting rid of the engine box and through-boat propeller shaft of an inboard configuration. The E-POD combines the motor, suspension, cooling, gearbox, clutch, propeller shaft and propeller into one complete system. The RIMDRIVE RD125 and RD160 integrate the propeller blades of an electric motor with the rotor (the rotating part of the motor), eliminating a central axis and allowing water to flow through. The motor stator (stationary part) forms a tunnel along with a protective ring around the propeller blades. That enhances the most distinguishing feature of the rimdrive, its exceptional silence during operation. The E-Line 22kW is available now for vessels up to 15 m (50 ft) or 20 ton and all VETUS boat equipment products come with a 3-year warranty. For more information visit the VETUS website. VETUS website The post New 22kW model added to expand VETUS electric boat motor options appeared first on Plugboats.

Spanish solar electric boat manufacturer Lasai, who had the autonomous range of their 22GL model certified by Bureau Veritas this year, debuted their fourth model – the Lasai 32KS – at the Dusseldorf Boat Show (‘Boot’) January 17 – 25. “The reception has been amazing” said Lasai CEO Gari Telléría, “we even had one gentleman – who was looking all around the show for a fossil fuel boat – say ‘this is exactly what I have been looking for’. Who knows, I think we may have even convinced him to go electric!” Listen to this article as a podcast Bureau Veritas (BV) is a world leader in testing, inspection and certification services that analyzed the autonomy and electricity consumption of the Lasai 22 GL with a battery capacity of 58 kWh on July 9, 2025 and confirmed a Successful test (Report 28-48-A35-1-000007) registering an autonomy of 109.0 nautical miles (NM) (202 km / 125 mi) at an average speed of 5.97 knots (11.06 kph / 6.87 mph). The test took place over a time of 18.5 hours (5:30 am to midnight). A couple of comments: First, Plugboats applauds Lasai’s initiative in having a recognized impartial authority conduct tests, because the electric boat industry sometimes gets knocked – rightly or wrongly – for claims about autonomy. Verified range of 109 nautical miles Secondly, that is a great result. The average speed of 5.97 kts is about the same as the cruising speed of a recreational sailboat (6 – 8 kts), and calculated over 18 hours. When you think about how a boat is used in real life, people don’t usually just go at one speed, they go fast sometimes, slow sometimes, and sometimes just sit on the water. The Veritas test shows that someone could take the Lasai out for a slow cruise almost literally as long and as far as they would reasonably like, but more important, they could use the electric boat the way they use a fossil fuel boat with their friends and families. Enjoy the journey They can leave the dock and go at a faster pace quit a good distance to find a nice bay, swimming or fishing or scenic dining spot, then anchor for however long they like and easily get back home at the same speed as their outward trip. “We’re not about speed,” said CEO Telléría in an interview with Spanish website EFE, “although you do want it sometimes. We believe it’s very reasonable to also go slow, enjoy the journey without noise, fumes, or odours and be more careful with the environment and the planet’s sustainability.” Lasai was founded in 2021 and its first three models – the 22GL, 20GL and 20CR – have proven to be extremely popular dayboats, used both on inland waterways and for coastal outings. The new 32KS, which is 10-12 feet (3.0- 3.7m) longer, expands the company’s line up with a boat designed for comfortable overnight stays on board and longer journeys while maintaining the efficiency and convenience of Lasai’s proven solar-electric technology. Fully equipped interior cabin The first thing the designers and engineers did – for both propulsion and accommodations reason – was go to a catamaran design. The twin pontoons create less drag and water resistance and move through the water more efficiently than a large monohull. The span between the pontoon allows for a wide spacious helm and deck area (the beam 3 m / 10 ft) as well as a fully equipped interior cabin with en-suite head. The overall look both in and out is clean and sleek. Elegant lines and a refined silhouette stand up to closer inspection with attention having been paid to the finishing details. A draft of just under a half metre (19 in) allows easy access to bays and shallow areas. While it’s autonomy has not been certified, the company says the 32KS has a range of 80 NM (150 km / 92 mi) at 10 knots (18.5 kph / 11.5 mph). Top speed is 18 kts (33 khp / 21 mph). The propulsion system is two 50 kW electric pods (≈ 2 X 70 hp) fed by 120 kWh batteries and 1.3 kWp of solar panels. Solar energy is an important part of all Lasai boats. One of the company’s founders is Spanish entrepreneur José Galíndez, who started and later sold the highly successful renewable energy company Solarpack (now Zelestra). Lasai solar-electric: sustainable power boating The first two prototypes built were passenger water taxis that operated in the Port of Mahón (Menorca) and ran during their first 15 days of service totally on solar power, without plugging in to any charging infrastructure. The three original models were designed to be ‘energy neutral’, meaning that, in sunny conditions, running at 4.5 knots, the boat consumes the same amount of electricity it produces. Lasai is headquartered at the Automotive Intelligence Center, near Bilbao, and has strong ties to the local EV industry. CEO Gari Tellería was hired from the coach and bus manufacturer Irizar with a decade of experience as head of their e-mobility division. Lasai means ‘tranquility’ in Basque, which is expressed in their overall philosophy

Aquila, a world leader in power catamarans with more than 1,000 boats now on the water, has announced the launch of their first sailing model, the Aquila 50. The new cat has a total upwind sail area of 156 m2 (≈1,700 sq ft) and a hybrid propulsion system with twin Torqeedo Deep Blue 50i electric motors, an 80kWh battery and auxiliary diesel generator. Listen to this article as a podcast Aquila was formed in 2012 when MarineMax, the world’s largest retailer of recreational boats and yachts, approached the Sino Eagle Group to build a boat for its new Vacations charter business. The new venture enlisted Lex Raas, former director of development at Beneteau, Leopard Catamarans and others, to oversee the project in collaboration with J&J Design Group and their development arm, Seaway. The Aquila 38 power cat was born and was so well received by charter clients that a decision was made to produce a similar design tailored for the needs and uses of private owners. It became the foundation for a lineup that now includes models ranging from 28 to 70 feet built in a 27-acre (110,000 m²) site that employs a skilled workforce of 510 artisan tradesmen and administrative staff. Aquila 50 Sail developed by sailing experts While Aquila is best known for their influence on the power catamaran market, the company is no stranger to wind power. Raas is a former Olympic windsurfer who has also crossed the Pacific under sail. His sons Jean and Alain are both high level executives at Aquila and have US National Sailing Team, Hobie Cat racing and ocean crossing experience on their resumés. In 2023 they floated the sailing catamaran idea and found sailing enthusiasts and experts throughout the company eager to bring it to life. They include Chief Designer Jure Zule, Chief Revenue Officer Nick Harvey and Global Service Manager Gareth Wood, all of whom are long time sailors and have been involved in creating, marketing and managing sailing yachts for some of the best known companies in the field. “This team brings decades of real life sailing experience to the drawing board” said Jean Raas. Frank Xiong, CEO of Sino Eagle Group, aded that “We’ve proven ourselves in power catamarans, and now we’re leveraging the deep sailing experience of our team to enter this market with purpose and precision.” Aquila design, precision construction Aquila is known in the power boat world for innovative design and exceptional quality and the new sailing catamarans follow that lead. Two of the most striking aspects of the Aquila 50 Sail are the distinct roof profile that slopes down to the bow area, where the Aquila 50 has an enclosed foredeck instead of the trampoline seen on many sailing cats. That turns the bow into a roomy, comfortable and usable social area with seating and sunpads. Panoramic windows surround the salon and galley area, accentuating the generous space and width a catamaran offers. There are layouts with 4, 5, or 6 cabins, each with private entrances, ensuite heads and walk-in showers. The massive Sino Eagle/Aquila shipyard is home to a precision manufacturing facility that specializes in building powercats that can handle the structural stresses of running at 70 knots. The sailing yacht uses the same construction technique, with one-piece molds to create hulls, decks, and bulkheads as complete components. Temperature and humidity are controlled during all molding processes to ensure consistent quality and vinylester resin infusion is used throughout for better structural properties than standard polyester resins. All of the upholstery, stainless steel components, electronics, and woodworking are manufactured on-site. Twin Torqeedo Deep Blue 50kWs with 80 kWh battery Recognizing that sailboat owners are different from power boat owners and appreciate their silence and clean air, Aquila worked with electric motor manufacturer Torqeedo to develop a proprietary Hybrid Ocean Drive system. There is a a Torqeedo Deep Blue 50 kW (≈ 70 hp) electric drive in each of the catamaran pontoons and they share the 80 KWh storage capacity of a Deep Blue LiFePo4 battery. The low RPMs of the electric drives allow precise, silent manoeuvering in harbours and anchorages and the system can also be used in open waters. To extend range there are two generator options: 32 or 40 kW. Project leader Raas says “Our hybrid system isn’t an afterthought—it has been integrated from day one. We designed the entire propulsion architecture to ensure seamless transitions and optimal performance in every scenario.”   As Nick Harvey of Aquila told Yachting News. “Hybrid is an integral part of the whole project and will be available from the very first hulls. It’s the direction the market is heading, and we want to lead the way”. In addition to the 50 Sail, two other sailing catamarans with electric/hybrid have already been announced by the shipyard – an Aquila 44 and an Aquila 63. The first opportunity to see the Aquila 50 Sail

Anglers, sailors and small boat owners now have another silent, clean propulsion option in the lightweight Spirit 2 electric outboard featuring the largest integrated battery of any e-outboard in the under 5kW class. ePropulsion’s original Spirit 1 debuted at the Metstrade industry show in 2015 as the first brushless, direct-drive electric outboard motor on the market. One decade later the company chose the same exhibition to launch the Spirit 2 as the fourth generation of their extensive lineup. Listen to this article as a podcast More power, Sport Mode, bigger battery The Spirit 1 is still an extremely popular option for many boaters, but the Spirit 2 takes things to the next level. The power is doubled to 2 kW and can be further pumped up temporarily with a new Sport Mode that provides 3 kW for short periods. The company did extensive testing with the Spirit 2 using a 140 pound, 11.5-foot aluminum boat – 65 kg / 3.5m) with one person and one Spirit battery on board. On calm lake water the results show a top speed of 11 knots  (12.5 mph / 20kph) using Sport Mode. At full power of 2kW, a single charge of the 1.5 kW quick connect LiFePo4 battery delivers around 54 minutes of cruising, extending to 1 hour 48 minutes at half power and up to 3 hours at quarter power, depending on conditions. POWER (W) SPEED (KNOTS/MPH/KPH) RUNTIME** (HH:MM) RANGE (NM/MI/KM) 500 4.0 / 4.6 / 7.4 3:00 11.3 / 13 / 21 1000 5.2 / 6.0 / 9.6 1:48 8.3 / 9.6 / 15.4 2000 9.5 / 10.9 / 17.5 0:54 7 / 8.1 / 13 3000 Sport Mode  11.3 / 13.0 / 21.0 Sport Mode can last up to 1 minute Motor and battery lighter than similar FF outboards The Spirit 2 electric outboard has been designed to meet the needs of a wide variety of boats and uses – from day sailing to fishing to tender duty – with a focus on combining practicality, simplicity and convenience. The motor and battery together weigh just over 45 pounds (20.6 kilograms), about evenly split between the two components. That is less than the weight of three leading combustion outboards of similar power for just the motor alone – without a tank or any fuel: the Mercury 5 HP Model 5MH weighs in at 55 lb (25 kg), and the Honda BF5 and Yamaha F6 Portable both weigh 60 lb (27.2 kg). Handy features to transport the lightweight Spirit 2 include a detachable clamp and foldable tiller. For greater comfort, control, and overall usability, the length of the tiller and its full-colour display can be quickly adjusted.  The Spirit 2 also has shallow-water trimming, a 90-degree tilt function, kill switch with pigtail line, and an integrated steering lock that secures the motor when the boat’s rudder is being used. ePropulsion’s advanced hydrogeneration technology is another valuable feature. It can generate electricity while the boat is moving under sail power between 3 and 16 knots and at 10 knots can produce up to 380 watts of power to extend battery life on longer trips. A 45w USB-C output keeps things like fish finders and lights powered and an optional battery inverter accessory transforms the battery into a portable power station for off-grid use. The system is fully compatible with ePropulsion’s 48V platform and E Series batteries, and it supports solar charging as well as integration with third-party energy systems, including Victron Energy. Spirit 2 ‘vision for the electric future’  “The Spirit 2 embodies our vision for the future of electric boating,” said Danny Tao, Co-founder and CEO of ePropulsion, “where power and portability go hand in hand. We’ve taken everything users appreciate about the original Spirit and advanced it to create a solution that delivers more power and intelligent control, all with greater portability.” Since launching the first Spirit a decade ago, ePropulsion has made itself one of the leaders in electric propulsion, due in no small part to its commitment to thoughtful engineering that serves the needs and wants of all kinds of boat owners, both leisure and commercial. Their portfolio of 1 – 6kW outboard engines and pods across the Spirit and Navy ranges has earned a reputation among leisure boat owners for quality, quietness and low maintenance. In 2023 the X-Series of larger outboards was introduced, with power ratings of 12, 20 and 40 kW and in 2024 the company went in the opposite power direction with the launch of the rudder-style .5 kW eLite electric outboard. For boatbuilders and OEMS the company develped the H-Series of  60-250kW electric inboard motors for vessels between 60 to 100’ (18-30m) and displacement of up to 200 tons. That in turn led to the I-Series of smaller inboards (10-40kW) that make ePropulsion technology and features available to smaller boats. All motors are supported with the ePropulsion Smart System Architecture (eSSA) and IoT connectivity service. Spirit 2 will be available worldwide through authorized ePropulsion dealers starting in spring 2026. ePropulsion website  Check ePropulsio

We caught up with Martin Philip of RIB Unlimited at the Cannes Yachting Festival to see their ultra efficient RIB matched up with a Falocn electric outboard from EPTechnologies. You can listen to the podcast or read the transcript below. You can listen to the podcast here or on any of the services below. The transcription below has been lightly edited for the written word. Martin Philip: Welcome to the Cannes Yachting Festival 2025. Basically what you see here in front of me is a combination of two of the most sustainable and advanced technologies that we have here at the fair I represent the boat RIB Unlimited, an independent boat manufacturer. In this case, we’ve partnered with EPTechnologies. They’ve developed a new outboard, one of the lightest electric outboards there is on the market, with a lower unit that can rotate 360 degrees. They also have a very advanced battery pack with a very good energy density. So the power weight ratio in this boat is world class. Plugboats: This is a new project that you’re doing with EPTechnologies. Most of your rigid inflatable boats ribs have fossil fuel propulsion. What makes the RIBS Unlimited rib different? MP: We have a pretty strong racing heritage, and we build super energy efficient ribs that are ultra light. We actually make a boat more energy efficient than anyone else in the market. We are celebrating 30 years this year, and we were the first RIB manufacturer to ever break the 100 knot speed barrier in 1999 PB: Wow! That’s impressive. What’s the secret? MP: Well, first of all, it’s hydrodynamic design. We really want to lift the boat out of the water maximally so we reduce the wet surface. The second factor is we are extreme when it comes to weight savings, and by building an ultra light boat then of course it’s much easier to lift the boat out of the water. In terms of how we build the boat, we use vacuum infused vinyl polyester and very advanced GRP PB: Excuse me, just for a second. Martin, for the listeners, GRP is another term for fibreglass. MP: The difference is also how we construct the boat, how we actually distribute the forces that do occur. Because no one will ever be able to win against the sea. The sea is so powerful, so in our case, we try to not go through the waves, so we go on top of the waves. PB: We’re seeing a lot of ribs with electric propulsion recently. I’m just wondering, is that, because ribs are intrinsically better for electric? MP: If you build a rib correctly, I would say it’s a fantastic platform for electrification. If you look at the number of approved passengers per boat weight unit, the as a construction type, the beauty of a rib is that we have a huge shock absorber around us, and that’s really the benefit of having a tube. When we are on plane, the tube does not touch the water, but functions as a massive shock absorber. Ultra efficient RIB has racing hull design PB: And the hull underneath? MP: We actually have a pretty sharp V in the boat, but we also have a keel that goes along the hull all the entire way up to the boat. The hull comes from a pure racing boat hull called Hydrostep 696, or designed by the Swedish naval architect Michael Lundblod., who is also a boat racing driver with a lot of experience in this field, PB: That’s a great tour of what makes your boats different. Martin, thank you. Now here at Cannes you’ve got a very specific boat with an EPTechnologies Falcon outboard MP: Yes, with our eight meter model that you see in front of us here, you can see that it’s a very, very simple configured boat. We shave off the weight of the batteries when we build the boat. PB: So what does it weigh now? MP: The boat itself – fibreglass, and the tube – weigh in at only 420 kilograms. So the GRP components together with the tube: 420 kilos. PB: So you’re all set up for electric propulsion. What attracted you to EPTechnologies? MP: What impressed us with EP technologies is their dedication to both battery technology development and motors. It’s actually a pretty large company today that is operating with a profit – something that is quite impressive these day. They do everything in house, service requirements are minimal, and it is high speed charging compatible. Read more about development of the Falcon outboard PB: And how powerful is the Falcon outboard? MP: We have 130 kilowatts continuous power here, peak power could go up over 200, depending on the battery configuration. So it’s a beast. PB: And the battery? MP: 90 kiloWatthours PB: This all sounds amazing. I assume you’ve had the RIB out and done some tests. MP: There have been independent tests, several of them, actually. One came out yesterday, and yeah, I would summarize it as a tribute to what we have been working on for a very long time. This boat, with over 500 kilos of battery, planed at 12 knots, and we can go north of 50, if we want to, but that’s not real

The 12th annual MEBC – Monaco Energy Boat Challenge – took place July 2 – 6 and was another shining success in showcasing the rapid advance of non fossil-fuel propulsion – where it is at now and what lies ahead for the future. The MEBC is unique in that it brings together university students, commercial electric boat manufacturers and the larger yachting industry with races, demonstrations, technical presentations, a job fair, mentoring program and round table discussions. In the university segment alone over 1,000 students participated, coming from 42 institutions in 20 countries. Listen to this article as a podcast There are four classes of racing at the Challenge. The Energy Class and AI Class are only open to university teams, the SeaLab Class includes entries from both university teams and commercial ventures and the Open Sea Class is reserved for boats available for sale. Boundaries were pushed in every class, a number of records were broken, and at the same time the racing was taking place on the water, there were two conferences being held indoors at the host Yacht Club de Monaco: one on advanced yachting and another on hydrogen and alternative fuels. Energy Class The Energy Class is the heart of the MEBC. Each of the university teams takes a one-design catamaran hull provided by the YCM and adds their own propulsion, steering and controls. There are regulations about weight and other criteria, but the main regulation is that the boats cannot use any fossil fuel. Each university has a section reserved for them in ‘the paddocks’ along the quayside of the club, and in each of those there are students from as far away as South Africa, Indonesia and India frantically doing final prep on boats they have been working on for the past 12 months. The intense concentration of students tweaking motor, battery, solar and control systems is interrupted every few minutes by one of the teams dollying their boat along the quay to the launching ramp, another breaking out in a celebratory song or yet another team moaning in disappointment at the failure of a key element not working as planned. After being certified by the MEBC Technical Committee, the boats compete in four different races: Speed, Slalom, Endurance and Championship – each of which requires different capabilities. The Speed race is a flat out time trial held along the coastline outside the harbour of the Club. The Slalom is also a timed event, in the same stretch of water, so it requires speed combined with manoeuvrability. In the Endurance event the boats try to complete as many one kilometre (≈ .75 mi) laps as they are able to in three hours. The Championship Races are a knockout competition held within the tight confines of the Yacht Club harbour which takes the speed and steering of slalom to a whole other level as the pilots weave around multiple markers as fast as they can and then make a mad dash to the finish line. You would think it would be difficult to build a boat that does well in all events. For instance a more powerful motor for the Speed event would also be heavier, so might be a bit of a drawback in the Slalom and Championship – and also might burn up the batteries quickly in the Endurance Race. However, the University of Bologna Argonauts Team – UniBoAT – managed to build a boat that did it all. They came in first in the Speed event (tied with Italian compatriots Università di Genova), first in Slalom, first in Endurance and put on a masterful display in the Championship races, beating all comers by a healthy margin in each race. This is the fourth year in a row that UniBoAT has won the Energy Class, and their story now goes beyond the MEBC and is a great demonstration of the advances that come out of the Challenge. After their victory in 2023 – and in their quest for continual improvement – the team wanted a more powerful and efficient motor. But instead of buying one off the shelf they decided to design their own in-house. Led by Professor Nicolò Cavina, the UofB students put together a terrific 15 kiloWatt (≈ 20 hp) electric outboard and have now founded a company, Competr, to manufacture and market their patented product. Two things make the Competr stand out. One, it uses a contra-rotating propeller, which is actually two propellers spinning in different directions at the same time on the same shaft. This creates much less turbulence than a one-propeller motor and increases efficiency by as much as 16%. The other distinctive aspect is that the motor is a tractor motor – the propellers face toward the bow of the boat and pull it through the water rather than pushing it from behind. Because it was developed for the restrictions of the Energy Challenge, the motor also had to be lightweight and comes in at just 22 kg (≈48.5 lb). The proof of the Competr came not just in this year’s Energy Class, but also in the SeaLab Class. (More on that in a minute.) Another team in Energy Class that built a contra-rota