Marine

Back in 2019, New Zealand's Ports of Auckland commissioned the world's first full-size electric tug, which is expected to be delivered toward the end of this year. Now the first electric tug in the US is being built to serve the Port of San Diego.

Lately we're seeing how sophisticated, ocean-going robots might help us map the seafloor, and one particularly interesting example has just successfully proved its mapping capabilities during its maiden voyage between San Francisco and Hawaii.

Austrian boat-maker Silent Yachts has rolled out its latest solar electric catamaran. Helping things along are a dozen more solar panels than the previous model, and an innovative kite wing for extra propulsion.

French company Iguana is taking aim at the record books with a new amphibious boat patterned after its military and emergency offerings, and designed to outsprint every other amphibian on the market with a peak output of 900 horsepower.

Italo-Spanish shipyard Magonis has gone green with its first boat. The striking 18-foot (5.5-m) Wave e-550 runabout treats buyers to a quartet of all-electric outboard options to create the perfect clean, quiet day on the water.

Back in May, Vision Marine opened reservations for its E-Motion 180E, the world's most powerful electric outboard. The motor could soon become the world's fastest, too, as Vision teams up to go after the world's fastest electric boat title.

Beyond making tires for fast but inefficient cars, Michelin has its hand in more sustainable endeavors. Its Wing Sail Mobility project aims to increase efficiency in shipping with an inflatable sail that deploys and retracts on demand.

Formula E-style electric racing is set to hit the water with a new E1 series due to kick off in 2023. Today we get our first look at the "Racebird" powerboat design, and these high-speed hydrofoiling racers will certainly make for exciting watching.

The world's first all-electric water ski tow boat is up and running, offering demo days from the shores of Lake Tahoe in California. The Super Air Nautique GS22E offers watersports fans a handsome, quiet, emissions-free fun machine ... at a price.

Though some folks chase storms for thrills or curiosity, there are also those who do so for scientific purposes. And it's the lattermost pursuit that will see a small fleet of unmanned surface vehicles deliberately head into hurricane territory.

Switch Maritime says its Sea Change ferry is nearly built and ready to work in the San Francisco Bay in Q3 this year. Powered by compressed hydrogen gas running through a fuel cell, it'll be the first of its kind, running for two days on a tank.

Batteries are taking ages to improve, but Sweden's Candela isn't waiting around. Instead, it's built a low-drag hydrofoiling boat that barely touches the water, giving it a super-smooth, efficient ride and three times the range of other electric boats.