Electric Boats

Swedish boat-builder Candela is looking to make some waves in the local water transportation scene with a fancy new foiling ferry it claims will be world-beating in a number of ways, including becoming the fastest all-electric passenger ship ever made.

Technology appears to be a big topic at this year's Palm Beach boat show, so it's not too surprising to see the launch of a Silicon Valley startup there. Navier is looking to make nautical design more high-tech with a self-piloting electric hydrofoil.

Swedish boat company X Shore makes its move across the Atlantic, launching its all-electric Eelex 8000 in the US. The modular, connected boat brings a versatile layout and intelligent software suite with over-the-air updates.

Bringing together power, speed and head-turning aesthetics, Denmark's Sarvo Marine has created the Sarvo 37. The shimmering aluminum-hulled day cruiser comes powered by four figures worth of pure-electric horsepower for speeds up to 70 knots.

We've already seen electric motorboats and even ferries, but a considerably larger battery-electric vessel should soon be in operation. It's called the e5 tanker and interestingly enough, it will be used to deliver conventional fuel to other ships.

Two heavyweights in high-performance battery tech are teaming to create the world's first lithium-sulfur battery-powered luxury boat. Williams Advanced Engineering and Oxis Energy will collaborate to get the cutting edge, 400-kWh e-boat out on the water.

Austrian boatbuilder Silent Yachts has already gained a fair bit of attention with its solar electric catamarans. Its just-announced latest model should continue that trend, as it's the result of a partnership with automakers Volkswagen and Cupra.

Known for expanding the boundaries of e-powered ocean navigation, Silent Yachts has turned to vacation resorts. By using its solarized electric catamarans as floating condos, it'd create seaside resorts that are light, flexible and ready to deploy.

On the 400th anniversary of the start of an epic voyage from England to the New World aboard the Mayflower, an autonomous, solar-powered marine research vessel is due to launch on a mission to gather environmental data about the ocean.

After focusing on speed with the launch of the Leisure 28 Electric in March, Rand has opted to take things a little easier for its latest model. The Mana 23 offers displacement cruising for 10 passengers at 5 knots for up to 100 nautical miles.

Electric boats could soon be getting even quieter and more maneuverable, according to Yahama. The company's new Harmo steering and propulsion system is promised to deliver on both counts.

Icona Design last crossed our radar with an insanely expensive, v8-engined supercar prototype called the Vulcano whose entire bodywork was fashioned from raw titanium. Now, it's back with an electric yacht design inspired by "the numbers of nature."