Plugboats electric boat roundup – Nov 22
Welcome to our regular Plugboats electric boat round up of e-boat highlights and news from the past few weeks. Click on any of the images or links to read the entire article. (Artciles will open in a new window)
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BOAT SHOWS / MOTORS / ACCESSORIES
METSTRADE Boat Show electric exhibitor guide
The METSTRADE marine trade show is on in Amsterdam today through Thursday and as interest in electric propulsion keeps growing and growing so does the number of exhibitors from the electric boat world. This year we count 17 exhibitors focused on electric (and some hybrid) propulsion. Here’s a quick guide to who is at METSTRADE 2019 from the electric boat world and helping lead the charge:
AWARDS / BOAT SHOWS
Three electric boat nominations in Best of Boat Awards
November 21 the Best of Boats Awards will be presented at the Berlin Boat and Fun Show. Three electric boat nominations are an indication that e-boats are starting to get broader recognition simply as boats, not just because they are electric. Good luck to our e-boat entries!
WATERTAXIS – FERRIES – CRUISE SHIPS
Record 15K people enjoy French electric river cruise
The Bernard Palissy III solar-electric sightseeing boat in France has completed its second summer of operation with a record 15,000 people enjoying the electric river cruise along the Riviere Charente in Cognac.
WORLD FIRSTS
Electric boat world firsts (Edition 2)
Here are another half dozen electric boat world firsts to go along with the article we did back in May about landmark achievements. Of course it’s natural to have a series of world firsts in anything developing as quickly as the electrification of marine propulsion, but sometimes it is nice to see them all in one place (or two) and realize just how quickly things are changing.
BATTERIES
New modular e-boat batteries at Ft Lauderdale Show
Back to boat shows for a minute (it’s that time of year!), modular electric boat batteries that can be configured in different shapes and power ratings were shown off by XING Mobility at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
XING has focused on developing the system for easy electrification of commercial trucks and other vehicles, but CTO and co-founder Azizi Tucker said at the show: “We quickly identified the marine and boating industries as prime potential benefactors of our modular battery technology. We know there is a huge unmet demand for electrification in this market.”
FERRIES / ELECTRIC-HYBRID
World’s busiest ferry systems going electric hybrid
Good news from the west coast of North America where the world’s second and fourth busiest ferry services – in Washington state and the province of British Columbia (BC) – announced purchases of electric hybrid ferries within days of each other.
PODCAST / E-BOAT HISTORY / E-REGATTAS
Plugboats Podcast #1: Kevin Desmond
We are adding podcats to the Plugboats mix of materials, in our first Plugboats Podcast we are delighted to welcome the world’s leading authority on electric boats, Kevin Desmond, who literally wrote the book on the subject: Electric Boats and Ships: A History.
Kevin takes us through some amusing and revealing stories about the early days of the Electric Boat Association, how he came to write the book, and his recent projects centred around Venice: Venice Agenda 2028 and a new E-Regatta.
