Navier shows off flying electric boat and claims ‘world’s longest range’
Electric boat manufacturer Navier is showing off the first flight of its Navier N27 hydrofoil electric boat. The company plans to follow this maiden voyage announcement with the unveiling of its larger N30 hydrofoil electric boat.
Hydrofoils, which function similarly to airplane wings underwater, help lift boats above the surface. By carrying the hull out of the water, hydrofoils can help dramatically reduce the energy required, resulting in longer run times with less “fuel.” In the case of electric boats, that means significantly fewer batteries.
And considering that batteries are the heaviest and most expensive part of an electric boat, hydrofoils are often seen as one of the leading options for increasing the range of electric watercraft.
Navier is now showing off the first test flight of their prototype all decked out in dazzle camouflage.
The company, which broke cover earlier this year to announce a $7.2M funding round, now touts $10M in funding from Next View Ventures, Liquid 2, GFC, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and Primavera Capital.
Navier claims that its 30 ft (9.1 m) upcoming N30 boat will be “the first commercially available electric hydrofoiling boat in America.”
The company seems to be overlooking the fact that the Candela C-8 is already available for order worldwide, including in the United States, and even has a Florida-inspired variant.
Even so, Navier still says its N30 will be the longest-range electric boat, boasting 75 miles (65 nautical miles or 121 km) of range and speeds of up to 35 knots (40 mph or 64 km/h). Just don’t expect to go 35 knots and get 65 nautical miles of range on the same trip. But with a super-efficient hydrofoil design that is said to be 10x more efficient than most V-hull ICE-powered boats, each trip should be pretty darn efficient.
As founder Sampriti Bhattacharyya explained:
We’re rethinking the boat from the ground up – with software at the core – enabling us to deliver a vessel that is highly differentiated on customer experience and performance. With Navier, the goal is to free our oceans and lakes from fossil fuel pollutants while delivering a luxury and performance based boating experience.
Bhattacharyya, who has a PhD from MIT in robotics and was formerly an aerospace engineer, originally expected that she’d spend her career designing aircraft. As she continued:
I always thought I would build for the sky but the world’s waterways represent the largest opportunity to innovate and create long term impact.
We don’t yet have full specs on the N30 or its hydrofoil system, but the company has mentioned that it will feature autopilot-style technology and can handle flying in seas as high as three to four feet (92-122 cm).
That autonomous technology seems to be a key part of Navier’s design goals, though other electric boat makers are also developing their own autopilot systems.
With production of the company’s first N27 models currently underway and N30 models available for reservation, Navier looks intent to become the next big hydrofoil electric boat maker.
Electrek’s Take
It’s great to see new EV companies pop up, though Navier has a long way to go if it expects to challenge Candela. The Swedish hydrofoil electric boat maker has years of experience and already boasts a long list of customers with boats in the water, including in the United States.
The company’s original C-7 model has been replaced by its C-8, which looks closer to what Navier’s renders depict. That would make Navier a direct competitor.
For now it seems like Navier is currently using boat builder Lyman-Morse to create its hulls, so the company would need to expand its operations and bring production in house if it hopes to compete on the same level.
But I’ll withold further judgement until I can actually see one of these boats in person. If it flies as well as the Candela C-8 did on my last test ride in Stockholm, I’ll be impressed.
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As “extreme” weather events become more commonplace, the demand for reliable and portable energy continues to rise. In response to that growing demand for dependable off-grid power, Volvo has developed the new PU500 Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) designed to take electrical power when it’s needed most.
Designed to be deployable in a number of environments at a moment’s notice, the Volvo Energy PU500 BESS is equipped with approximately 500 kWh of usable battery capacity (up to 540 kWh total). More than enough juice, in other words, to power a remote construction site, disaster response effort, or even a music festival – anything that needs access to reliable electricity beyond a grid connection.
That’s great, but what sets the PU500 apart from other battery storage solutions is its integrated 240 kW DC fast charger.
“With an integrated CCS2 charger, the PU500 is designed to work with all brands of electric equipment, trucks, and passenger cars,” says Niklas Thulin, Head of BESS Product Offer at Volvo Energy. “This ensures that no matter what type of electric vehicle or machinery you rely on, the PU500 can provide the power you need, making it a truly flexible solution for any grid constrained site or location.”
The integrated charger in the PU500 has the impressive ability to charge a heavy equipment asset (be that an electric semi truck or something like a wheel loader) in under two hours. Its on-board capacity allows to fully recharge up to 3 electric HD trucks or 20 electric cars per day, making it an incredibly versatile disaster response asset.
Electrek’s Take
As we often say over at The Heavy Equipment Podcast, “just because you’re working for the power company doesn’t mean you have power,” and there are hundreds of scenarios where the extra power provided by something like the new PU500 would be useful. Its ability to be palletized and easily moved or swapped out of a larger BESS array, too, just add to its flexibility.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo.
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In a bold bid to combat the crippling air pollution crisis in its capital, Delhi, Indian lawmakers have begun high-level discussions about a plan to phase out gas and diesel combustion vehicles by 2035 – a move that could cause a seismic shift in the global EV space and provide a cleaner, greener future for India’s capital.
Long considered one of the world’s most polluted capital cities, Indian capital Delhi is taking drastic steps to cut back pollution with a gas and diesel engine ban coming soon – but they want results faster than that. As such, Delhi is starting with a city-wide ban on refueling vehicles more than 15 years old, and it went into effect earlier this week. (!)
“We are installing gadgets at petrol pumps which will identify vehicles older than 15 years, and no fuel will be provided to them,” said Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa … but they’re not stopping there. “Additionally, we will intensify scrutiny of heavy vehicles entering Delhi to ensure they meet prescribed environmental standards before being allowed entry.”
Making it prohibitively difficult for Dehli’s residents to own and operate older, presumably more polluting vehicles is one way to reduce harmful emissions and air pollution, but Sirsa’s team isn’t just targeting newer vehicles. They’re also planning to deploy more than 900 electric transit buses, part of a larger plan to replace 5,000 of the city’s 7,500 total bus with lower- or zero-emission options this year alone.
The Economic Times is reporting that discussions are underway to pass laws requiring that all future bus purchases will be required to be electric or “clean fuel” (read: CNG or hydrogen) by the end of this year, with a gas/diesel ban on “three-wheelers and light goods vehicles,” (commercial tuk-tuks and delivery mopeds) potentially coming 2026 to 2027 and a similar ban privately owned and operated cars and bikes coming “between 2030 and 2035.”
Electrek’s Take
After a Chinese government study linked air pollution caused by automotive exhausts and coal-fired power plants to more than 1.1 million deaths per year in 2013, the nation’s government took serious action, shuttering older coal plants and imposing strict emissions standards. The country also incentivized EV adoption through license-plate lotteries favoring electric cars and a nationwide EV mandate set to kick in by 2030.
The results were astounding, and the technological innovations that have come from an entire nation of talented engineers all “pulling in the same direction” have put the West to shame, with Western auto executives repeatedly sounding the alarm and lobbying for tariffs and other protectionist policies on both sides of the Atlantic.
To see India make move towards a gas and diesel ban like this, and on such an aggressive timeline, can only mean that they’ve been paying attention … and America is about to fall even further behind.
SOURCE: India Times; featured image by Sumita Roy Dutta.
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Last week, Parker Hannifin launched what they’re calling the industry’s first certified Mobile Electrification Technology Center to train mobile equipment technicians make the transition from conventional diesel engines to modern electric motors.
The electrification of mobile equipment is opening new doors for construction and engineering companies working in indoor, environmentally sensitive, or noise-regulated urban environments – but it also poses a new set of challenges that, while they mirror some of the challenges internal combustion faced a century ago, aren’t yet fully solved. These go beyond just getting energy to the equipment assets’ batteries, and include the integration of hydraulic implements, electronic controls, and the myriad of upfit accessories that have been developed over the last five decades to operate on 12V power.
At the same time, manufacturers and dealers have to ensure the safety of their technicians, which includes providing comprehensive training on the intricacies of high-voltage electric vehicle repair and maintenance – and that’s where Parker’s new mobile equipment training program comes in, helping to accelerate the shift to EVs.
“We are excited to partner with these outstanding distributors at a higher level. Their commitment to designing innovative mobile electrification systems aligns perfectly with our vision to empower machine manufacturers in reducing their environmental footprint while enhancing operational efficiency,” explains Mark Schoessler, VP of sales for Parker’s Motion Systems Group. “Their expertise in designing mobile electrification systems and their capability to deliver integrated solutions will help to maximize the impact of Parker’s expanding METC network.”
The manufacturing equipment experts at Nott Company were among the first to go through the Parker Hannifin training program, certifying their technicians on Parker’s electric motors, drives, coolers, controllers and control systems.
“We are proud to be recognized for our unwavering dedication to advancing mobile electrification technologies and delivering cutting-edge solutions,” says Nott CEO, Markus Rauchhaus. “This milestone would not have been possible without our incredible partners, customers and the team at Nott Company.”
In addition to Nott, two other North American distributors (Depatie Fluid Power in Portage, Michigan, and Hydradyne in Fort Worth, Texas) have completed the Parker certification.
Electrek’s Take
With the rise of electric equipment assets like Bobcat’s T7X compact track loader and E10e electric excavator that eliminate traditional hydraulics and rely on high-voltage battery systems, specialized electrical systems training is becoming increasingly important. Seasoned, steady hands with decades of diesel and hydraulic systems experience are obsolete, and they’ll need to learn new skills to stay relevant.
Certification programs like Parker’s are working to bridge that skills gap, equipping technicians with the skills to maximize performance while mitigating risks associated with high-voltage systems. Here’s hoping more of these start popping up sooner than later.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Parker Hannifin.
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