An electric boat just broke the all-time speed record for a battery-powered watercraft, reaching a top speed of 109 mph. And while boats powered by internal combustion engines have long been able to surpass triple-digit speeds, this boat has completely broken the previous electric speed record for watercraft, which was only 88.6 miles/hour.
The boat was built by Vision Marine Technologies, which describes itself as a “global leader in marine recreational electric propulsion”. In one press release published today (and caught our attention by Electrek), Vision Marine announced the record-breaking run, taking place at Lake of the Ozarks penalty shootoutAn annual regatta raises funds for charity.
The record-breaking electric boat, called the V32, is a 32-foot catamaran specially designed to carry two Vision Marine E-Motion external electric motor along with the batteries needed to power them. The boat is piloted by Shaun Torrenteworld champion in the Formula 1 Sailing World Championship, aka F1H2O. Yes, there is a Formula 1 yacht race.
“We are here today to impart a new legacy by proving once again that the transition to electric power in the marine industry is within reach,” Vision Marine CEO and Co-Founder Alex Mongeon said in a press release announced a new speed record. “We are getting closer to eliminating the massive carbon footprint our planet is experiencing as a result of the continued use of ICE engines.”
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Incidentally, the previous electric boat speed record was 88.61 mph set by Jaguar Vector Racing in June 2018. The team, sponsored by Jaguar, used expertise from Jaguar participating in Formula E to develop a battery-powered high-speed racing boat.
But the record is meant to be broken, and Vision Marine has completely obliterated Jaguar Vector Racing’s 2018 speed record. There’s still a long way to go to topple the fastest fossil fuel-powered boats on earth – all-time speed 317 mph record was set in 1978 of Spirit of Australia, equipped with a Westinghouse jet engine with a capacity of 3,000 horsepower.
