The slender boat lurches forward, its four passengers clinging to the wooden deck as they surge past the Monaco skyline. For all its sculpted lines and awesome acceleration, the white cruiser wouldn’t be out of place with climate activist Greta Thunberg at the wheel, rather than the moneyed elite flocking to the principality in search of a new toy.

“Such aggressive acceleration is only possible with electric drives,” says Peter Minder, as he commands the 250,000-euro ($277,000) boat built by his company Designboats.ch. Only the air stream and a high-pitched buzz from twin electric engines betray a speed of almost 30 miles per hour. “Our clients increasingly want to enjoy their maritime hobbies without emissions and noise. But they still want to have fun.”

While electric cars are a realistic alternative to the century-old internal-combustion engine, the world’s waterways are dominated by ships that belch plumes of diesel exhaust and heavy fuel oil. But because of long life cycles and a shortage of charging infrastructure and advanced batteries, converting ships is difficult. That hasn’t stopped governments from Norway to Thailand insisting on a greener future.

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