WaVeS #23 – Electric boat and boating news -July 2024
Plugboats WAVES (Watts, Amps, Volts, Electrons) is an occasional collection of electric boats 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 #23, with electric boat and boating news about:
- E1 Racing: Team Blue Rising strikes up partnership with Enata aviation/marine technology
- Autonomous marine technology Roboat raises €550K
- Italian RIB fitted out with twin 300 hp electric outboards from China’s ExploMar
- Highfield RIB with ZeroJet electric jet now in series production.
- Valkama electric boats working with boat club and dealer Marinaone
- Artemis electric foiling ferry to service Isle of Wight in UK
E1 Racing: Team Blue Rising strikes up partnership with Enata aviation/marine technology
Team Blue Rising is now sitting at the #5 position in the UMI E1 electric boat racing series following some strong performances in the first half of the season. They are looking for even stronger races in the second half, thanks to their new strategic partnership with leading-edge marine and aviation technology company Enata, designers of the the world’s first private flying yacht, The FOILER.
Team Blue Rising is co-owned by cricket star Virat Kohli and sports-tech entrepreneur Adi K Mishra. Emphasizing the significance of this collaboration, Mishra says “Enata’s leadership in developing advanced marine technologies, especially their hydrofoil innovations, is key to our strategic objectives, allowing us to push the boundaries of speed, efficiency, and sustainability in sports. Their expertise will be pivotal to us as the UIM E1 World Championship continues to challenge the conventions of race boating.”
Aloïs Vieujot, CEO of ENATA said: “Our collaboration with Team Blue Rising reflects our shared commitment to revolutionising the boating industry through innovation and advanced engineering. We are excited to bring our proven track record of technological leadership to the championship alongside Team Blue Rising, setting new standards for performance and sustainability”.
Here are the top 5 positions in the E1 Series after three races, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Venice, Italy; and Puerto Banús, Spain.
- 45 Points: Team Miami powered by Magnus. Team Owner is multiple Grammy Award winning artist Marc Anthony
- 42 Points: Team Brady, owned by the NFL legend.
- TIED: 30 Points: Team Brazil, owned by Technology Entrepreneur Marcelo Claure, Founder & CEO of Claure Group and
Westbrook Racing, owned by Hollywood actor, musician and film producer Will Smith - 23 Points: Team Drogba, owned by UEFA Champions League Winner and 4-time Premier League Didier Drogba
- 22 Points: Team Blue Rising
The next three races take place in Monaco July 28; Lake Como, Italy, August 24 and Hong Kong November 10. Visit the E1 website for full schedules and details on how to watch.
E1 Racing website Team Blue Rising website Enata website E1 Racing in Plugboats
Autonomous marine technology Roboat raises €550K
Roboat is an Amsterdam-based startup with the goal of revolutionizing inland waterways and transforming the way boats operate through the use of automation. They create boats that can perceive, navigate, and perform tasks on their own, making transportation more safe, efficient, and versatile and have just raised €550K (≈ $600,00) to help further their mission. The supporters are LUMO Labs and SHIFT Invest.
Amsterdam’s public transport company, the GVB, uses the Roboat system on the GVB IJveer canal ferries built by Holland Shipyards Group with a hybrid drivetrain that includes 272 kWh installed battery capacity. The Roboat technology is used for situational awareness, as an ‘extra set of eyes’ to support the ferry skippers.
Roboat CEO and CO-founder Ynse Hendrik Deinema, Roboat says “We are collaborating with multiple clients across the Netherlands and Europe where our system either supports the skipper on the bridge deck or takes full control of navigation, depending on local regulations.”
Andy Lürling, Founding Partner LUMO Labs, shared: “Cities worldwide are struggling with transporting people and goods over their congested roads. Waterborne transportation is a good alternative to cars and trucks, but shortage of personnel and relatively high OpEx is currently posing a bottleneck. Roboat’s technology offers a solution based on autonomous navigation. This market is expected to grow tremendously, since we need to rethink our transportation systems, making it more versatile and more sustainable.”
Italian RIB fitted out with twin 300 hp electric outboards from China’s ExploMar
ExploMar (explore and marine) is a China-based startup that has developed and manufacture a line up of three electric outboards: the WAVE 70+, WAVE 150+ and WAVE 300+. The numbers in the model names refer to horsepower, the power ratings in kiloWatts are approximately 50 kW, 110 kW and 220 kW. They have just installed to of the high power WAVE 300+ outboards on an 11 metre (36 ft) rigid inflatable boat (RIB) built by Italy’s AS Labruna.
The motors are fed by twin High Energy Density Batteries (HEDBs) that each weigh 938 kilograms (2,067 lbs) and have energy storing capacity of 125 kiloWatt hours. The outboards uses axial flux motor technology that delivers high torque with lighter weight motors: 655 Newton metres per unit in this case (≈ 485 lb. ft).
All of that combined during sea trials for the boat capable to hit a speed of 38 knots (44 mph / 70 kmh) with 6 people aboard.
ExploMar has also designed a custom gearbox for the motors and developed a patented closed dual thermal management cooling system that ensures continuous high-performance output. The company’s ‘SmartCaptain’ system provides intelligent driving functions like lateral docking and in-place turning.
ExploMar CEO Dong Jiang says: “The application of the WAVE 300 twin electric powertrain system, with its outstanding performance and intelligence, marks a significant milestone in empowering the electrification and intelligence of boats. This WAVE 300 twin powertrain system can also be paired with a semi-solid-state battery solution for longer range, meeting the needs of more customers.”
ExploMar website AS Labruna website
Highfield RIB with ZeroJet electric jet now in series production.
Highfield Boats is the largest manufacturer of rigid inflatable boats in the world and has been an early adopter of electric propulsion, outfitting their boats with outboards from ePropulsion, Pure Watercraft and Flux Marine, to name a few.
They have also worked extensively with New Zealand electric jet manufacturer ZeroJet over the past two years and production of the EJET330 electric jet tender has now begun. In its demo stages it was recognized with a DAME Award at METS 2023.
The ZeroJet is different from just strapping an outboard onto the transom of a RIB because the nature of the water intake and outtake that propels the boat forward needs to be integrated with the hull.
The technology provides a few worthwhile advantages, though, as anyone who has driven an ICE jet ski or jet boat can attest. Perhaps the main advantage is that there is no propeller, so the boat can be used in very shallow depths and is easily beached.
By skimming over the water’s surface in those depths, it minimizes the impact to fragile eco-systems, and swimmers do not need to be wary of any nearby spinning blades.
Plugboats will be covering the Highfield EJET 330 in more detail in a future article, but quickly:
- Dimensions: 3.36 metres long, 1.82 metres wide, with a 15˚ deadrise.
- Weight: 320kg total including battery, FCT console wheel steering and system.
- Propulsion: 20kW of power, equivalent to 25hp,
- Battery: 10.8kWh 48V-10A low voltage lithium
- Speed: Planes at 11 knots with top speed of 20 knots
- Charging: from 2.5 hours depending on charger output
More information on the Highfield Boats website
Highfield website ZeroJet website
Valkama electric boats working with boat club and dealer Marinaone
Valkama Watercrafts, known for its Picnic Cruiser electric boat, is expanding in the Nordic boating market with a new partnership with Marinaone. Marinaone offers a membership-based concept, providing access to motorboats and sailboats for a variety of on-water experiences.
In addition to adding the Valkama to their fleet of boats, MarinaOne will also be the official sales dealer for the greater Copenhagen and Malmö area. The partnership will allow boat enthusiasts in Copenhagen, Malmö and surrounding regions to experience Valkama’s electric boats at MarinaOne facilities, establishing the presence of Valkama and electric boats in general.
Valkama’s flagship Picnic Cruiser has a heavy-duty aluminum (EN-A-5083) hull made of precision robot-welded plates for durability and stability in rough waters. Powered by the RAD 40 electric outboard with 180º rotating lower leg, it has a top speed of 25 knots and a cruising range of 90 minutes to two hours hours at 18 knots. It can cruise all day at a more leisurely pace of 5 knots, all of these features fulfilling the company’s promise: ‘All-electric boats that make sense.”
Marineone website Valkama website
Artemis electric foiling ferry to service Isle of Wight in UK
Red Funnel, the original Isle of Wight Ferry, has been operating boat service from Southampton to the Isle for more than 163 years and will soon be offering customers the opportunity to take the trip on a 150 passenger zero-emission, electric e-foiling passenger ferry from Artemis Technologies. The EF-24 was the winner of the Electric Commercial Passenger Vessels: In Development Category of the 2023 Gussies Electric Boat Awards.
Operation of the EF-24 Passenger will save up to 3,700 tonnes of CO2e per year. Using electricity from renewable sources will increase annual emissions savings to approximately 4,150 tonnes of CO2e. In addition to reducing air pollution and noise, the fully accessible passenger ferry will use cutting-edge hydrofoil propulsion technology to fly over waves, lifting the vessel out of the water to reduce drag and provide a smoother, quieter and more comfortable experience for passengers.
Red Funnel CEO, Fran Collins, said: “We have been working with Artemis Technologies for several months to develop this partnership, and we are delighted to reach this exciting milestone as part of our journey to decarbonize our fleet. Delivering first-class service to our customers is our priority and the Artemis EF-24 passenger ferry will provide speed, comfort and reliability as well as significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.”
The two companies will be working closely over the coming months on testing, sea trials and training of Red Ferry’s High-Speed team to prepare for passenger service in late 2025.
Artemis website Red Funnel website Artemis in Plugboats
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