Plugboats Newsletter: September 23 – Oct 10
September 23 – October 10
This is a sample of the newsletter that Plugboats subscribers receive on a regular basis – a round up of stories that recently appeared in the international journal of electric boats. Use the sign up form on the right if you would like to be added as a subscriber
In this edition: A new all electric e-Regatta being launched in Venice, a new electric catamaran from France, two electric jetskis being introduced to the world, a radical new electric motor design, a cruise ship testing lithium ion batteries and the news that electric boat manufacturer X-Shore raised 1.5M Euros from 431 crowd funding investors.
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COMPETITIONS
Call for entries: new e-Regatta in Venice 2020
A new electric boat e-Regata in Venice has been announced to take place during the city’s 2nd International Boat Show next June at the historic Arsenale shipyard. The e-Regata initiative is being headed up by Inland Waterways International in concert with Kevin Desmond, author of Electric Boats and Ships: A History and founder of the VeniceAgenda2028 petition for the electrification of all boat traffic in the city’s canal.
INVESTMENT
X-Shore crowdfunding campaign nets $1.5M
UPDATE: October 10, 2019
When the crowdfunding campaign for electric boat maker X Shore closed at midnight on October 9 the final tally was funding of €1.5 million – US$ 1.66M – raised through the FundedByMe platform. The amount is more than three times the goal of €475,000 set in July when this article was first posted and we started tracking the X-Shore campaign.
CRUISING BOATS / NEW MODELS
Bagoù – France’s radical new electric catamaran
With dual inverted bows to reduce drag and a wide space for dining, entertaining and swimming, this new electric catamaran is designed for a party of up to ten to enjoy a relaxing and quiet day on the water.
MOTORS / RESEARCH
An Italian hydrojet to revolutionize electric boats?
DeepSpeed, an electric hydrojet engine used as an outboard rather than an inboard caused quite a stir at the Genoa Boat week with its efficiency and speed results.
The concept came about because the price of replacing a V8 fossil fuel motor on a boat owned by DeepSpeed founder William Gobbo in 2007 got him thinking that there must be a better, cleaner solution to getting a boat through water.
PERSONAL WATERCRAFT / NEW MODELS
SeaDoo showcases concept electric jetski
It looks like the odds of an electric jetski showing up on your lake soon are going up considerably with BRP, maker of Sea-Doo, unveiling a battery powered model at its annual Club BRP conference.
PERSONAL WATERCRAFT / NEW MODELS
Taiga Orca: New electric jetski shipping in 2020
Taiga Motors, the Canadian company behind the world’s first electric snowmobiles, unveiled their new electric jetski ‘Orca’ on the Toronto waterfront Tuesday with plans to ship the first production models in Spring 2020.
CRUISE SHIPS / BATTERIES
Li-ion batteries coming to Carnival cruise ship
AIDA Cruises, the German division of the world’s largest cruise line, will be installing a lithium-ion battery system from Canada’s Corvus Energy in a pilot program to explore the electrification of the cruising industry. The system will go into operation in 2020.
