Navier unveils new auto-docking feature on its electric hydrofoil boat
Navier showed off what it is calling the first ever auto-docking feature for a hydrofoil electric boat, which should make it even easier for beginner boaters to navigate their watercraft.
The electric boating startup described the feature as part of its larger vision to “increase autonomy of water vessels and unlock the world’s waterways.”
The auto-docking feature has been designed for the company’s N30 electric boat, which Navier described as “the only boat of its kind to go from sketch to flight in under a year.”
When implemented, the auto-docking feature will allow boaters to dock with a single push of a button.
As Navier’s CEO and founder Sampriti Bhattacharyya explained, the new autonomous feature has been in high demand:
Autodocking was the most requested feature by our existing customer base. Being the first in the industry to deliver this is a huge milestone for the company and the future of the boating experience. We’re rethinking design from the ground up – with software at the core – enabling us to deliver a product that is highly differentiated on customer experience and performance. Our goal is to bring the joy of sustainable boating to anyone, even those who love water but are overwhelmed at the thought of handling a boat.
The N30’s new auto-docking system will used advanced computer vision and an array of sensors to precisely gauge the location of the boat compared to the selected slip, while simultaneously avoiding obstacles and compensating for outside forces such as wind.
The boat’s two independently steerable motors are key to the process, as they can allow the Navier N30 to perform docking maneuvers such as pure translational and turning movements that other single and fixed rear engine boats cannot achieve.
The auto-docking system is designed to hold the boat in a fixed position once it has reached its target point, which will allow the boat to be secured to the dock. Boaters can of course take over manual control of the boat to use the steering and maneuvering capabilities of the motors in manual docking mode via a joystick in the cockpit.
The auto-docking feature will become available for beta users in the boat’s 2023 edition. That model has already sold out, but customers can reserve the 2024 edition of the N30 with the option to add auto-docking. Reservations require a refundable deposit of US $1,000, though the final price of the boat is expected to be at least US $375,000.
The N30 is described as the first commercially available electric hydrofoilling boat built in the US and Navier claims it is the longest range electric boat in the world in its size class. It currently has few competitors in the hydrofoil electric boat category, though companies like Swedish hydrofoil e-boat maker Candela have been selling highly efficient electric boats for years. Other electric boat makers are also targeting the luxury electric watercraft market, though their conventional hulls require significantly larger batteries and higher power motors to achieve comparable ranges to electric hydrofoil boats.
Hydrofoill electric boats are around 10x more efficient than traditional gas boats thanks to the significantly reduced drag when the boat flies on its foils, not to mention the advantages of high-efficiency electric powertrains. The Navier N30 recently showed off its performance carrying 10 people at America’s Cup where it completed “the longest range trip of any electric boat in its class” at the event.
Navier has already raised over US $10 million in seed funding from Next View Ventures, Liquid 2, GFC, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and Primavera Capital. While its first product is squarely in the recreational boat category, the company seems set to chart a path similar to Candela that includes commercial electric boats such as ferries and water taxies.
What do you think? Will you be letting a computer dock your third-of-a-million-dollar boat anytime soon? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
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Enbridge is going big on solar again in Texas, and Meta is snapping up all the solar power it can get.
Last month, Electrek reported that the Canadian oil and gas pipeline giant just launched its first solar farm in Texas. Now it’s given the green light to Clear Fork, a 600 megawatt (MW) utility-scale solar farm already under construction near San Antonio. The project is expected to come online in summer 2027.
Once it’s up and running, every bit of Clear Fork’s electricity will go to Meta Platforms under a long-term contract. Meta will use the solar power to help run its energy-hungry data centers entirely on clean energy.
The solar farm project’s cost is around $900 million. Enbridge says it expects Clear Fork to boost the company’s cash flow and earnings starting in 2027.
Enbridge EVP Matthew Akman said the project reflects “growing demand for renewable power across North America from blue-chip companies involved in technology and data center operations.”
Meta’s head of global energy, Urvi Parekh, added that the company is “thrilled to partner with Enbridge to bring new renewable energy to Texas and help support our operations with 100% clean energy.”
Meta’s first multi-gigawatt data center, Prometheus, is expected to come online in 2026.
Clear Fork is part of a growing trend: tech giants like Meta, Amazon, and Google are racing to lock down renewable energy contracts as they expand their fleets of AI-ready data centers, which use massive amounts of electricity.
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A fully electric Japanese electric pickup truck? It’s not a Toyota or Honda, but Isuzu’s new electric pickup packs a punch. The D-MAX EV can tow over 7,770 lbs (3,500 kg), plow through nearly 24″ (600 mm) of water, and it even has a dedicated Terrain Mode for extreme off-roading. However, it comes at a cost.
Meet Isuzu’s first electric pickup: The D-MAX EV
After announcing that it had begun building left-hand drive D-MAX EV models at the end of April, Isuzu said that it would start shipping them to Europe in the third quarter.
By the end of the year, Isuzu will begin production of right-hand drive models for the UK. Sales will follow in early 2026.
Isuzu announced prices this week, boasting the D-MAX EV features the same “no compromise durability” of the current diesel version.
The D-MAX EV pickup features a full-time 4WD system, a towing capacity of up to 3.5 tons (7,700 lbs), and an added Terrain Mode, which Isuzu says is designed for “extreme off-road capability.” With 210 mm (8.3″) of ground clearance, Isuzu’s electric pickup can wade through up to 600 mm (24″) of water.
Powered by a 66.9 kWh battery, Isuzu’s electric pickup offers a WLTP range of 163 miles. With charging speeds of up to 50 kW, the D-MAX EV can recharge from 20% to 80% in about an hour.
The electric version is nearly identical to the current diesel-powered D-Max, both inside and out, but prices will be significantly higher.
| Isuzu D-Max EV specs and prices | |
| Drive System | Full-time 4×4 |
| Battery Type | Lithium-ion |
| Battery Capacity | 66.9 kWh |
| WLTP driving range | 163 miles |
| Max Output | 130 kW (174 hp) |
| Max Torque | 325 Nm |
| Max Speed | Over 130 km/h (+80 mph) |
| Max Payload | 1,000 kg (+2,200 lbs) |
| Max Towing Capacity | 3.5t (+7,700 lbs) |
| Ground Clearance | 210 mm |
| Wading Depth | 600 mm |
| Starting Price (*Ex. VAT) | £59,995 ($81,000) |
Isuzu’s electric pickup will be priced from £59,995 ($81,000), not including VAT. The double cab variant starts at £60,995 ($82,500). In comparison, the diesel model starts at £36,755 ($50,000).
The EV pickup will launch in extended and double cab variants with two premium trims: the eDL40 and V-Cross. Pre-sales will begin later this year with the first UK arrivals scheduled for February 2026. Customer deliveries are set to follow in March.
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In this photo illustration, Claude AI logo is seen on a smartphone and Anthropic logo on a pc screen. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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OpenAI and Anthropic continue to lead a fundraising bonanza in artificial intelligence, raising historic rounds and stratospheric valuations.
But when it comes to finding AI exits for venture firms, the market looks a lot different.
AI startups raised $104.3 billion in the U.S. in the first half of this year, nearly matching the $104.4 billion total for 2024, according to PitchBook. Almost two-thirds of all U.S. venture funding went to AI, up from 49% last year, PitchBook said.
The biggest deals follow a familiar theme. OpenAI raised a record $40 billion in March in a round led by SoftBank. Meta poured $14.3 billion into Scale AI in June as part of a way to hire away CEO Alexandr Wang and a few other top staffers. OpenAI rival Anthropic raised $3.5 billion, while Safe Superintelligence, a nascent startup started by OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, raised $2 billion.
While Meta’s massive investment into Scale AI amounted to a lucrative exit of sorts for early investors, the overarching trend has been a lot more money going in than coming out.
In the first half, there were 281 VC-backed exits totaling $36 billion, according to PitchBook. That includes the roughly $700 million acquisition of EvolutionIQ, an AI platform for disability and injury claims management, by CCC Intelligent Solutions, and the public listing of Slide Insurance, which builds AI-powered insurance offerings for homeowners. Slide is valued at about $2.3 billion.
“The dominant exit trend right now is frequent but lower-value acquisitions and fewer IPOs with significantly higher value,” said Dimitri Zabelin, PitchBook’s senior research analyst for AI and cybersecurity.
CoreWeave’s IPO, which took place at the very end of the first quarter, was the exception on the infrastructure side. The stock shot up 340% in the second quarter, and the company is now valued at over $63 billion.
Zabelin said the pattern of more investments in applications with smaller deals has been in place for the past year.
“Vertical solutions tend to plug more easily into existing enterprise gaps,” Zabelin said.
The acquisitions wave is being driven, in part, by what Zabelin calls bolt-on deals where larger companies buy smaller startups to enhance their own future valuations, hoping to enhance their value ahead of a future sale or IPO.
“That also has to do with the current liquidity conditions in the macro environment,” Zabelin said.
Outside of AI, activity is slow. U.S. fintech funding dropped 42% in the first half of the year to $10.5 billion, according to Tracxn. Cloud software and crypto have also seen sharp pullbacks.
Zabelin said IPO activity could pick up if economic conditions improve and if interest rates come down. Investors clearly want opportunities to back promising AI companies, he said.
“The appetite for AI, specifically vertical applications, will continue to remain robust,” Zabelin said.
— CNBC’s Kevin Schmidt contributed to this report.
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