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 #29, with electric boat and boating news about:
Princeton world speed record holders test at Lake X New electric trimarans for silent, sustainable Arctic cruising Entries open for Polyboat Challenge II E1 Series adds second Africa race to fill 2026 schedule Candela hydrofoiling ferries secure funding to meet rising global demand Winners of French Electric Boat Association Annual Awards China’s Asia Yacht Show adds Expo with electric/hybrid/green focusCheck out all of the WaVeS e-boat news collections
Listen to this article as a podcast Student world record holders take new electric speedboat to legendary testing watersPrinceton University’s Princeton Electric Speedboating team (PES) has completed a series of tests of their latest cutting-edge electric hydroplaning boat – the Eagle 1 – at Mercury Racing’s storied high-performance marine proving waters, Florida’s Lake X.
In October of 2024 PES set the certified world electric speed record of 114.20 miles per hour (184.79 kph, 99.24 knots) and they are hoping that the expertise and experience of Mercury Racing can help them set a new one with Eagle 1.
Mercury has been crucial to fossil fuel powerboat racing for decades, and also works with both the E1 Series and new Formula 60 electric speedboat racing championships. For the Princeton team, testing at Lake X provides a controlled environment with a mountain of historical data along with on-site safety, rescue and technical support.
Read: New Formula 60 electric speedboat racing circuit
Eagle 1, the 16.5 foot (5 m) all-electric hydroplane has been designed and built by PES in conjunction with JW Myers from Black Sheep Racing. Carbon fibre decks span the entirety of the 7.5 foot wide (2.1m) vessel. The powertrain is designed to reach over 220 kW (300 hp) of power and has two battery modules, each rated at 356.4 V nominal (388.8 V maximum).
Evan Callas, President of Princeton Electric Speedboating said “The experience at Lake X gave us a rare opportunity to validate our electric propulsion system in a world-class environment while pushing performance limits.”
The goal for gauging the boat’s capabilities is sustained speeds above 145 mph (235 kph / 126 kts) for up to one minute, although the official 1 kilometre run should only take about 20 seconds. The test session at Lake X, with pilot John Peeters at the helm, successfully represented the vessel’s first operations at these target speeds. The team is aiming to go for a new record later this year.
Electric trimarans receive classification to grow sustainable Arctic tourism opportunities
For the past six years Brim Explorer’s electric and hybrid catamarans have provided silent, sustainable cruises on some of Norway’s most beautiful and environmentally delicate fjords.
A popular tourist attraction that is among the World’s Top 50 Travel Adventures, the cruises have also been testing grounds for a next generation of electric trimarans purpose-built for conditions in both the fjords and Arctic open seas.
The vessels have been developed by Brim Tech, the technology arm of Brim Explorer, and incorporate lightweight structures and a highly optimized hull developed by WIND Naval Architects to minimize energy consumption. Each vessel can accommodate up to 180 passengers. A single charge is expected to provide a range of approximately 100 nautical miles at 20 knots. (185 km at 37 kph / 115 mi at 23 mph).
The new ships have been given the blessing of classification society Bureau Veritas, important for large vessels because it certifies that new technologies are integrated safely and reliably. It matters for things like insurance and therefore investment and acceptance by government agencies and large tourism and travel companies. It also adds verifiable credibility to large scale electric and hybrid propulsion as a whole.
David Barrow, SVP for Western Europe and Americas at BV, said the project highlights the growing momentum behind electric propulsion in maritime transport. “Bureau Veritas is delighted to partner in bringing these advanced trimarans to life and supporting the safe integration of advanced technologies for sustainable maritime solutions. ”
Espen Larsen-Hakkebo, CTO & Co-founder of Brim Explorer, said: “The new trimarans represent the next step in our ‘electric by design’ approach. After six years of operating our boats in tough conditions in Northern Norway and Oslo, we are now able to confidently and excitedly develop a new generation of high-speed, long-range, zero-emission boats.”
Entries open for second Polyboat ChallengeEntries are open for the second Polyboat Challenge (PBC), launched in 2024 by Kevin Desmond, a passionate advocate for electric boats and author of ‘Electric Boats and Ships: A History’.
The PBC invites electric boatbuilders, boat owners, and boat rental companies to have fun and help the environment by taking electric boats on as many different types of community cruises as they can from April 2026 to March 2027.
There are suggested cruise types on the Challenge’s website and they include on-water occasions and events like Gourmet Cruises, Educational trips, Plastic Fishing (plishing) to protect waters, Wildlife excursions, History trips and Costume Cruises.
The first PCB was won by Dolphin Eco Recreation of India, known as the ‘makers of the most colourful electric boats in the world’. Their fleet of boats has been used for everything from marriages to pilgrimages to political campaigns, dinner cruises and more. Mr Ataluya Bajaj of Dolphin says their mission is simple: “To bring the pleasure of electric boating to the common man.”
To find out how you can participate in the 2026/27 Polyboat Challenge, Mr. Desmond invites you visit the PBC website through the link below.
Candela electric hydofoiling ferries raise €30M as oil prices begin to soarElectric hydrofoil builder Candela is using its largest funding round to date to finance a second manufacturing facility and scale production of its groundbreaking P-12 ferries. Growing global demand is becoming more pressing as concerns mount about the dependability and costs of fossil fuel distribution.
The private-sector arm of the World Bank Group – the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – contributed €8 million to the round, with all existing Candela shareholders — EQT Ventures, SEB Private Equity, KanDela AB, and Ocean Zero LLC – participating in the other balance. Candela has now raised €129 Million since its inception ($145M), making it the world’s best-funded electric vessel manufacturer.
The Candela P-12 has proven successful in Stockholm’s public transport, significantly reducing travel times and operating costs. Hydrofoiling ‘flying’ ferries use as little as 1/5 of the energy of water-bound vessels (no matter what fuel is used) and electric propulsion only adds to the financial and environmental benefits.
With Candela’s serial production now up and running and first customer deliveries starting this month, more than 65 vessels are currently on order. Deployments are slated for the Maldives, Saudi Arabia’s NEOM project, Thailand and Mumbai, India —where a fleet of ten P-12s will cut airport-to-city-centre travel time from around two hours to 35 minutes.
“From a physics perspective, we’re redefining waterborne transport by effectively creating a new category of vessel,” says Gustav Hasselskog, Candela founder and CEO. “From a business perspective,” he continues, “we’ve built a platform with industry-leading operating costs that serves multiple markets and frees operators from the financial trap of fossil-fuel ships. Graduating from small-series to large-series production allows us to deliver an even more attractive price point for our technologically advanced carbon-fibre vessels. They win on cost and performance, and that’s why investors are backing Candela. I’m truly grateful for that trust.”
E1 electric speedboat coming to Second African site in SeptemberWith the help of Will Smith, owner of one of the E1 electric speedboat racing teams, the Series has announced that Angola will host a round of the UIM E1 World Championship on September 12 and 13, marking another important milestone in the sport’s international growth. Smith, owner of the Visit Angola Westbrook Racing team, announced the news in Luanda, saying “Africa has always embodied passion and relentless drive. This September, the world will be watching and I’m excited to be part of it!”
The Angola event will be E1’s second race location on the African continent and fills the final spot in the 2026 schedule. The season started in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on January 26 with other races slated for Lake Como (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Monaco, Lagos (Nigeria) Miami (USA) and Bahamas.
Luanda is one of Africa’s most important maritime gateways and has a rich marine history. The city will work with E1 to highlight its sustainability efforts, driven in part by major investments in hydroelectric power, and will reinforce Africa’s growing role in the evolution of electric racing on water.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and Chairman of E1 (and the Formula E electric car racing circuit) said “E1’s mission is to race in locations embodying innovation, environmental ambition and a deep connection to the water. Luanda and Angola deliver on all three, and we couldn’t be more excited to race here.”
The E1 Series features teams owned by celebrities that include Smith, DJ Steve Aoki and multi-Grammy winner Marc Anthony from the world of entertainment; sport figures Tom Brady (American football) Didier Drogba (football) James LeBron (basketball) Virat Kohli (cricket) and tennis legend Rafael Nadal.
Each team is made up of a female and male pilot who race the one-design ‘Racebird’ hydrofoiling speedboats powered with 120 kW outboards by Mercury Racing that can hit speeds of 55 knots.
India Boat & Marine Show website IEMA website
France Electric Boat Association presents annual awards, elects new PresidentOne of the highlights of the recent Nice Boating Tomorrow show was the announcement and presentation of the annual trophies from the French Association for Electric Boats (AFBE). A jury of professionals – including boating journalists, designers, boat builders and event sponsor Banque Populaire Méditerranée – awarded four prizes, while an online public vote determined the “People’s Choice” award.
First prize was awarded to BlueNav for its patented virtual anchor technology. The system relies on the use of electric motors to maintain the boat’s position, limiting the need for physical anchoring and reducing impact on the seabed and marine life.
See the Plugboats Guide to Electric Exhibitors at Nice Boating Tomorrow
Second place was awarded to Millikan Boats for its Millikan M.10 electro-solar catamaran, which was also a winner of the 2025 Gustave Trouvé International Electric Boat Awards. SeaZen took third place with another boat served by renewable energy, the SRE 23 solar boat, designed for slow and silent recreational use.
The jury awarded a special prize to Weenav for its Kronos 300 outboard electric motor and the public’s “People’s Choice” award was given to E-NAV. The company was recognized for integrating electric propulsion on a JPK 39 racing sailboat that is currently participating in a transatlantic race, demonstrating the reliability of these solutions in real-world conditions.
The awarding of the trophies was the first official duty of the association’s new President, Michel Nave, proprietor of electric propulsion integrator E-NAV Systems. He succeeds Yannick Willeveau of boat yard NaviWatt, who will continue to serve on the board of directors. Also on the Board are Alexandre Seux of electric outboard developer and manufacturer TEMO, Gildas Olivier of SWITCH electric propulsion solutions, Antoine Herteman of EVA electric mobility, Xavier de Montgros of ODC Marine and Philippe Chadeyron of renewable energy utility EDF (Électricité de France).
Asia Yacht ShowOver the past 12 years the Asia Yacht Expo in Guangdong, China, has built a leading and influential event for Asian yacht and water-based industries. Now a new segment—the Asia Marine Electric and Hybrid Power Technology and Equipment Expo—is being launched as part of the 2026 edition to focus on “electrification, hybridization, and intelligent green boating and shipping”.
The new event is being co-hosted with the International Electric Maritime Association (IEMA). Together. the organizations are assembling examples of cutting-edge achievements from around the world to build the first planks of a platform for technical exchange, standard sharing, market matching, and green upgrading.
There is enormous potential for growth of electric and hybrid propulsion in China, especially with the country’s national strategy of building a strong maritime sector and “Dual Carbon Initiative” to reach peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
On top of that, the Guangdong Province government has issued an action plan for “Promoting the High-Quality Development of the Yacht Industry in Guangdong” that sets clear goals of building a complete industrial chain and pushing the industrial impact for the sector to exceed 100 billion RMB ($15B, €12.5B).
The expos will leverage the industrial cluster advantages and global resource network of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area which has a 4,000 kilometer (2,500 mile) coastline and permanent population of 127 million, with about 35% of households (about 40 million people) considered ‘middle-class’.
All of this sets up China and Guangdong for a rapid growth stage in boating. In 2024, the number of registered yachts in all of China was only 45,000 – less than half of one per cent of the US. Guangdong itself has only about 2,200 registered yachts. With China being the world leader in battery production it would appear to be an understatement to say that the market for electric boating in the country holds enormous potential.
The Asia Yacht Expo and the Asia Marine Power Expo will take place in Guangzhou May 15 to 17.
Otter website Nautical Ventures website
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