Plugboats

The 13th annual Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (MEBC) takes place July 8-11, with university students, electric boat builders and alternative fuel experts converging from around the world to meet at the host Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) and explore greener marine propulsion in all shapes, sizes and use cases. Listen to this article as a podcast The MEBC has grown with the rise of electric boating sinc...

One of the communities embracing electric propulsion is the owners of the boats and barges that ply the web of canals and rivers of England, Scotland and Wales. Electrika – the only show dedicated to electric narrowboats on UK waterways – is back for its third year in response to rising interest. Listen to this article as a podcast The show is now an important meeting place for boat builders, refi...

The silent, clean and precise operation of electric motors has always been attractive to those who like to do their fishing from a kayak, and now ePropulsion has customized their popular eLite outboard to appeal to those who enjoy one of the fastest-growing activities in recreational fishing. Listen to this article as a podcast The new kLite 750 is a ‘rudder style’ electric outboard, where the wid...

With partners and affiliates in over 20 countries already, ExploMar is expanding an impressive international network of dealers, distributors and other partners ready to capitalize on the growing interest around the world in electric water transportation. Working with these partners has also demonstrated that electric outboards can do everything expected of a motor – and then some – with technolog...

With a win by Angola Westbrook Racing (owned by actor Will Smith) in Dubrovnik this past weekend, his team now leads the race for the E1 season championship as the sport continues to grow in popularity. Tom Brady’s Team Brady – champion of the first two season – is in second spot followed by Team AlUla Championed by NBA star LeBron James. This is the second year that Croatia’s historic and romanti...

Navalt, one of the planet’s solar boat pioneers, has made a big leap in its mission to ‘electrify the oceans’ with one of its Limo luxury tour boats being shipped 12.703 kilometres (7,893 mi) from Kerala, India to Halifax, Canada, where it will join Halifax Harbour Tours Listen to this article as a podcast Navalt was founded in 2009 by naval architect Sandith Thandassery, who has...

Optima Yachts of the UK, a winner in the 2024 Gussies International Electric Boat Awards , is looking for investors, operators or strategic acquirers that can take the Optima 14 and the company’s other recreational and commercial electric vessels into production. Listen to this article as a podcast All of the Optima boats are designed around the company’s proprietary ultra-efficient hull technolog...

The 7th edition of the Venice Boat Show (Salone Nautica Venezia) begins Wednesday, May 27th and will once again provide a large stage for electric propulsion in a city synonymous with water and boating. Listen to this article as a podcast The centre of the show is the Arsenale complex, where a 2,000 man enterprise could turn out a ship every day during Venice’s five century reign as a maritime emp...

On June 6 Pleasure Cove Marina at Lake Berryessa near Napa, California, will host the first Lake Berryessa Electric Boat Festival, preceded on Friday by an Electric Marine Leadership Summit discussing the future of electric boating in the United States. Listen to this article as a podcast The Summit will convene leading electric boat manufacturers, propulsion companies, marina operators, commercia...

Riding the wave of the launch of their first model – the F800 – at Boot Dusseldorf, electric boat builder ESEA has completed its initial seed funding round. It is now set to build on its long term vision: a new generation of boats that are environmentally responsible, intuitive to use and designed around the real needs of modern boaters. Listen to this article as a podcast “We founded ESEA with th...

Plugboats WAVES (Watts, Amps, Volts, Electrons) is a regular collection of electric boat 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. Listen to this article as a podcast Here is WaVeS #31, with electric boat and boating...

Joe Grez is an experienced consumer product developer with a degree in physics and portfolio of US patents. In 2008, when he was required to put a mandatory CO2 warning on the dinghy he and his young granddaughter took to go out fishing, it made him think about the effects the exhaust and fumes had on her when she was in the boat. Listen to this article as a podcast He began to explore the possibi...

Inspired by the llaut boats that have been plying the waters of the Balearic Islands since the Middle Ages, the SAMAR 50 solar electric yacht marries a hull that’s been proven over the centuries with the latest advances in zero emission propulsion. The result is impressive. The 50 is the first model from SAMAR Yachts, who are based on Mallorca with a name derived from the local words “Sa Mar...

Founded in 2009 on the shores of one of Europe’s largest fossil-fuel-free lakes, WIA Yachts now has a line of seven all-electric models, the latest being the Hardtop version of their popular WIA 520. Listen to this article as a podcast It all started when a marina came up for sale on Hungary’s Lake Balaton. Central Europe’s largest lake (75 x 14 km / 50 x 10 mi), it is also known &#821...

In the second race of the third season of the E1 electric speedboat series, first place was taken by the team owned by actor Will Smith – which also landed them on top of the championship standings for the first time ever. The race took place in the shadows of the Italian Alps on Italy’s iconic Lake Como, the only race of this season’s nine events that is held on fresh water. Others are held in Je...

Plugboats WAVES (Watts, Amps, Volts, Electrons) is a regular collection of electric boat 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 #30, with electric boat and boating news about: Tenth electric ferry for...

Two of the world’s largest sailboat builders – Groupe Beneteau and Fountaine Pajot Group – have set out to speed up adoption of electric propulsion in the industry by creating E-Lektra Marine, a 50/50 joint venture whose first customers will be seven major brands that represent 60% of the global market: Beneteau, Fountaine Pajot Sailing Catamarans, Fountaine Pajot Yachts, Dufour, Excess, Jeanneau...

It is safe to say that no company has more experience in designing and building an electric hybrid yacht than Greenline , who launched their first – the Greenline 33 – in 2008. Since then they have delivered more than 1,000 yachts in a line-up that now includes 9 models from 39 to 59 feet. Listen to this article as a podcast One of the most popular and enduring has been the Greenline 40, launched...

With the addition of a range of performance and handling improvements and innovations for 2026, Blade electric outboards is stayi ng true to one of their core R&D Commitments: Continuous Improvement. Listen to this article as a podcast Founded in 2022 by a group of lifelong boaters who had also been colleagues in the engineering, aerospace and technology industries, Blade was born out of their...

The 17th edition of the International Multihull Show is set to take place April 22-26. A record number of boats with electric and hybrid propulsion are taking part. The show, at La Grande-Motte on France’s Mediterranean coast, demonstrates not just that multihulls have become one of the fastest-growing segments in global boating, but also how more and more boat builders and owners are embrac...