Electric vehicles (EVs) are not just confined to the road and Blue Innovations Group (BIG), a company founded by John Vo Tesla’s former head of global manufacturing, has announced the R30 electric boat.
It features a lightweight aluminium hull and a battery pack that will be housed in the boat’s frame. The 30-foot long boat will feature a dual motor powertrain delivering 800hp with a top speed of 45mph (72kph) thanks to the lithium battery pack that offers 221kWh of capacity.
It will offer a run time of eight hours and have a capacity of 12 people. The simple yet neat-looking R30 will feature wooden-clad floors while extendable solar panels on the canopy. These will provide 2.7kW of solar power.
Blue Innovations Group will demonstrate the R30 at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada taking place January 5-8.
Vo told Telsarati that the R30 was designed to be versatile and comfortable for the whole family and is designed to be a truly sustainable energy power boat. The company plans to manufacture the R30 at its facility in Pinellas Park, Florida.
Vo told Teslarati: “Electric cars make a lot of sense and electric boats are a no-brainer. Boats are 10 times less efficient than cars. If we can make the boat reliable and eliminate the cost of repairs and fuel consumption, it’s a no-brainer.
“I think it’s just a matter of time before we will have to move to water, and we need to make sure if we move to that, that the solution is sustainable and ready for it. I think that is what makes our mission critical. It’s important to do that. And we have the skill set and experience to enable that.”
Reservations for the R30 open on January 5 with deliveries of the new R30 expected in the second quarter of 2024.
It’s good to see the clean electric principle being applied to boats. Back in August 2022, Polestar, the Swedish electric performance car manufacturer, announced it had signed a multi-year agreement to supply battery and charging systems to Swedish hydrofoil electric boat company, Candela.
