The Canadian Electric Boat Company introduced its new 290 Phoenix model at the 2020 Miami Boat Show, expanding the company’s line of all-electric boats.
While the company is perhaps best known for its Fantail line of classic electric cruising salon boats, it also has made news in the speed department, when its Volt 180 set a record for electric boats at the famous Lake of the Ozarks Shootout last August.
A sleek new carbon fibre high performance electric runabout, the Z2R from Zinboats, is grabbing a lot of attention at this week’s Miami International Boat Show.
Built around the Torqeedo Deep Blue propulsion system, the 20’ (6.1m) runabout can hit a top speed of 30 knots (56kmh/35mph) with a suggested cruising speed of 8 kts (15kmh/9 mph).
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.
Every sailor is familiar with the wet cough of the diesel engine, and the acrid smell of its exhaust. For some it’s the sign that an adventure is starting, for others it is the reassurance that all is well on board the boat. The traditional engine is perhaps your boat’s most important safety feature, but its days may be numbered.
The electric sailing revolution is coming – and though adoption in the marine sector is proving much slower than in the automotive world ashore, progress is being made.
Calling electric vehicles “the future” is so 2019. Pretty much every major car manufacturer has one (or more) electric vehicle in their lineup. Does that mean boats are next?
Sea Ray recently made a splash in Las Vegas, when the company unveiled one of the most innovative boats in the marine industry at CES 2020, Jan. 7–10. The Brunswick-owned company debuted their brand-new SLX-R 400e Outboard. Sea Ray boasts about the engine’s “cutting-edge technology paired with high-performance propulsion, elevated design elements and the orchestrated excellence of the SLX 400.” But the most interesting thing about the new engine is its lithium batteries.