Solar-powered motor boats needn’t be a pipe dream or the preserve of small, short-range, lake-based runabouts. In fact, Sunreef’s latest creation is a large, luxurious, solar-powered supercat with a limitless cruising range and an ocean-capable Category A RCD rating. And just to be clear, this isn’t a mere prototype concept craft, the 80 Sunreef Power Eco is a bona-fide production model, at least two of which have already been delivered to customers.
Now, for the first time, we’ve been able to experience it at sea to see what this extraordinary new craft is capable of.
ELECTRICAL SURGE
The 80 Eco’s sole means of propulsion are two relatively low-powered 180kW (241hp) electric motors. These are no bigger than a commercial washing machine drum and are buried deep inside each hull at the bottom of a two-storey ‘engineroom’. The rest of the space is
