E1 Series, the electric boat of the future
E1 Series
Following the presentation of the first world championship of electric boats, better known as UIM E1 World Electric Powerboat Series, born from an intuition of the Spanish entrepreneur Alejandro Agag, founder of Formula E and Extreme E, of the President of the International Motonautique Union , Raffaele Chiulli, and di Rodi Basso, a former Italian aerospace engineer, during a recent virtual event the E1 Series unveiled the new design of the RaceBird electric racing boat that will race from 2023.Non a Chance, Alejandro Agag underlined the importance of introducing the progress achieved so far in the races that see the new electric cars as protagonists also in the nautical sector. The founder of Formula E and Extreme E himself will be President of the company while Rodi Basso will take over as CEO.
I am happy to announce this important breakthrough in nautical sports and we believe that this new series will succeed to involve not only sportsmen, boating enthusiasts and new technologies, but also all those who care about the future of our oceans and the planet. Lakes, rivers and oceans are in a critical situation and the E1 series will only pave the way for electric handling on water for future generations, Agag said.
In detail, the UIM E1 World Electric Powerboat Series will feature boats featuring high-performance electric propulsion systems. Indeed, we reiterate that the RaceBirds, designed by SeaBird Technologies and Victory Marine, are equipped with foils and capable of reaching a maximum speed of 60 knots. Thanks to the use of foils, the RaceBird electric boat can in fact rise above the surface of the water, minimizing friction and ensuring maximum energy efficiency.
The use of electric propulsion on water is currently still in a development phase and my ambition with the E1 Series is to accelerate the spread of electric boats, demonstrating how exciting they can be and at the same time Promote solutions in the field of electric and low-emission propulsion for sailing around the world, Agag added.
Meet The #RaceBird ⚡️
50 knots.
Fully electric.
800kg.
It's so good to finally unveil this beast. Now it's time to make history with it 🌊 # E1Series pic.twitter.com/LHgBRGUFyH
- E1 Series (@ E1Series) June 7, 2021
The championship yes will be divided into ten races: specifically, up to 12 teams will compete in the waters of spectacular global racing locations.
In the past I have compared electric racing cars with Star Wars podracers, but RaceBird is even more futuristic. It looks like a spaceship and the boat's ability to rise above the waves not only improves performance but guarantees more exciting competitions because by reducing the wake wave it allows competitors to overtake and close engagements, said the founder of Formula E.
The next appointment to keep an eye on, in the development path of RaceBird is that of September 2021 when, at the Monaco Yacht Show, the first model ever will be presented, while the tests on the prototype will begin in the late winter of this year. year.
During the virtual event, it was also confirmed that the E1 Series has obtained funding from the Public Investment Fund, thus creating a partnership that represents a significant step forward in the development of the championship and that creates a solid starting point for the Series, considering that it will allow him to accelerate the preparation of the inaugural season which is scheduled to start in 2023. Not surprisingly, PIF's investment in E1 is in line with the 2021/2025 strategy announced earlier this year, which focuses on 13 key strategic sectors, including sports, entertainment and renewable energy.
It is a great pleasure for me to welcome PIF as a new partner in this exciting venture. Getting his support at this early stage of development underlines the importance of our mission to electrify marine mobility, co-founder Alejandro Agag added.
The “Lego Technic catamaran and sailboat 2 in 1” set is available on Amazon.
Futuristic hydrofoiling electric speedboats to face off in E1 Series
Formula E-style electric racing is set to hit the water with a new E1 series due to kick off in 2023. Today we get our first look at the 'Racebird' powerboat design, and these high-speed hydrofoiling racers will certainly make for exciting watching.
On land, despite a rocky start, Formula E has steadily grown its audience some 24 percent a year, particularly among younger viewers, and the Extreme E electric off-road series drew 18.7 million viewers in its first race – showing that there's definitely interest in competitive electric racing. The E1 series seeks to get things started offshore, as an electrified version of the F1H20 powerboat racing series, and it's already fully sanctioned by the international powerboat racing authority, the UIM.
Today, we get our first look at the race boats, and they're certainly going to raise some eyebrows. A given amount of energy doesn't tend to go a long way in the high-drag environment of water, so the E1 team has decided to go with a hydrofoil design, that'll lift these boats some 40 cm (16 in) over the surface of the water, nearly eliminating drag and looking extremely cool in the process.
The E1 series will feature head-to-head zero-emissions powerboat racingE1 Series
The Racebird boats, designed by Seabird Technologies and Victory Marine will feature full carbon bodies with wings out the sides that fold under to form the front hydrofoils, and an extended wing tail on the outboard motor for the rear foil. The cabin is fully enclosed, as with the high-speed gasoline powerboats, so they'll look like spaceships skimming the surface.
At 7 m (23 ft) long and 3 m (9.8 ft) wide including those foil wings, the boats will weigh around 800 kg (1,764 lb) in total and reach speeds up to 50 knots (93 km/h, 58 mph). It's a long way from the death-defying 250-km/h (155-mph) top speeds of the gasoline-powered F1H20 class. Indeed, there are plenty of speedboats and cigarette boats on the market capable of going quicker, but electric boating is difficult and this is a start. And the foiling design could make head-to-head racing more competitive, since there's basically very little wake to interfere with a following boat.
We'll see a prototype later this year, and production is due for 2022. Twelve teams are expected to compete, with the first race penciled in for early 2023 and no official venues announced as yet. One benefit to cities that participate will be that the E1 series will leave charging facilities in place wherever it goes, for public use by electric boat owners.
Sunbird has stated it'll also be developing a version of the boat for commercial sale, so that'll be neat.
Check out a short video below, or tune in here for the full launch announcement.
Inside The E1 Series RaceBird | Close up shots of the all-electric powerboat!
Source: E1 Series
