Electric boats making waves without the noise-
“Bolstered by new technology, the electric boats are now faster, have smaller batteries with longer ranges and are still zero emission.”
The following written content by John Marshall
The auto industry has raced ahead on an electric wave with more manufacturers joining the race seemingly every day.
The boating industry has sputtered far behind, bogged down by low-horsepower engines and batteries that take up nearly half the boat.
That’s in the process of changing.
Bolstered by new technology, the electric boats are now faster, have smaller batteries with longer ranges and are still zero emission.
“Electric boats used to be good for just cruising around,” said Alex Mongeon, CEO of Montreal-based Vision Marine Technologies. “Now they have more power and last a long longer.”
Vision Marine has helped lead the charge in more powerful electric boats. Other companies riding the electric motor wave include Swedish luxury boat builder X Shore and Arc, started by former SpaceX employees.
An avid boat racer and electrician by trade, Mongeon and Vision Marine began working in 2015 on developing a more powerful yet still efficient electric outboard motor.
They created the E-Motion 180, the first electric boat engine to use lithium batteries.
The electric outboard boasts 180 horsepower and can reach speeds of 60 mph, a first in electric boating. The E-motion 180, which costs about $5,000 more than a standard internal combustion engine, can be used with any boats that use a 180 HP outboard gas engine, typically between 18 to 26 feet.
The engines can fully charge overnight and all that’s needed is a 220-volt outlet — a boating version of plug and play. Maintenance is far less than ICE engines because there are fewer moving parts.
The electric engines are noiseless, odorless and smokeless, so there’s no more yelling at each other while onboard or leaving a layer of smoke in your wake.
Sales of the E-Motion 180 started in May with delivery expected later this year. Read more from Yahoo.
