And unlike other companies looking to electrify water transportation such as Candela and Arc Boats, New Zealand-based Vessev isn’t starting in the pricey pleasure-craft sector and has instead launched with the 10-passenger VS-9.

Replacing diesel-powered ferries with electric vessels could reduce emissions and improve air quality

Replacing diesel-powered ferries with electric vessels could reduce emissions and improve air quality

Cutting through New York Harbor in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the small white boat we were riding on caught the attention of passengers aboard a nearby sightseeing ferry. “It’s quite a curiosity at the moment,” Eric Laakmann, the chief executive and co-founder of Vessev, said. His company builds fully electric hydrofoil boats. These vessels use underwater “wings” to lift their hulls above the surface as they pick up speed. By raising the boat out of the water, the design dramatically reduces drag, one of the biggest obstacles to making boats more energy-efficient. “We’re picking up speed. We’re going for a takeoff,” Laakmann said as the boat rapidly accelerated. The hydrofoils lifted the hull about a foot and a half above the water. Almost immediately, the ride transformed. The familiar slap of the boat pushing through waves became a smooth, almost airborne glide. How hydrofoils make electric boats ‘viable’ The hydrofoil effect is more than a novelty. Water creates significant resistance, and overcoming it takes energy. Electrifying boats is a challenge because batteries are heavy, and that extra weight increases the power needed to move the vessel. Hydrofoils may offer a solution. By lifting much of the hull...

Cutting through New York Harbor in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the small white boat we were riding on caught the attention of passengers aboard a nearby sightseeing ferry. “It’s quite a curiosity at the moment,” Eric Laakmann, the chief executive and co-founder of Vessev, said. His company builds fully electric hydrofoil boats. These vessels use underwater “wings” to lift their hulls above the surface as they pick up speed. By raising the boat out of the water, the design dramatically reduces drag, one of the biggest obstacles to making boats more energy-efficient. “We’re picking up speed. We’re going for a takeoff,” Laakmann said as the boat rapidly accelerated. The hydrofoils lifted the hull about a foot and a half above the water. Almost immediately, the ride transformed. The familiar slap of the boat pushing through waves became a smooth, almost airborne glide. How hydrofoils make electric boats ‘viable’ The hydrofoil effect is more than a novelty. Water creates significant resistance, and overcoming it takes energy. Electrifying boats is a challenge because batteries are heavy, and that extra weight increases the power needed to move the vessel. Hydrofoils may offer a solution. By lifting much of the hull...

“When will we start flying?” I asked Vessev co-founder and CEO Eric Laakmann, as we pulled away from the Brooklyn marina in the startup’s VS-9 electric Stay updated with the latest global news from MISRYOUM.

“When will we start flying?” I asked Vessev co-founder and CEO Eric Laakmann, as we pulled away from the Brooklyn marina in the startup’s VS-9 electric Stay updated with the latest global news from MISRYOUM.

Vessev hopes its electric hydrofoil ferry will change the way people and cities think about boats.

- Vessev Tech: PASS (0.92, 0.80) — Genuine drag reduction. - TechCrunch: PASS (0.95, 0.85) — Balanced on limits.

Quando pensamos em mobilidade elétrica, a maioria dos investidores foca exclusivamente em montadoras de veículos terrestres, ignorando rotas comerciais

I examine the catastrophic intersection of hydrofoil efficiency and spatial arbitrage, arguing that the removal of maritime friction is the first step toward a total systemic seizure of coastal habitation.

The Vessev VS-9 lifts its hull on hydrofoils and cruises at 25 knots, but its range and wave limits point to short, sheltered routes.