THE FUTURE IS ELECTRIC
It is hard to believe that a dozen years have passed since Tesla introduced its groundbreaking, all-electric Roadster in 2009.
Although hardly perfect – Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson initially gushed about the car being “biblically quick” only minutes before the production crew were shown pushing it off the track after its batteries ran flat – Tesla’s first production electric car laid the foundation for what today is clearly the future of the automobile. Although unintentional, it also laid a similar foundation for the future of boats.
Electric boats are nothing new, but so far the overwhelming majority have been small craft focused on putting along at walking speed. That’s been partly by design, in an attempt by early electric boatbuilders to appeal to the sensitivities of the people seen as most likely to become early adopters. But it also reflects the limitations of the battery technology of the time, and the simple reality that until quite recently, operating the boat at anything above idle speed reduced run times from hours to minutes.
