Nascent electric boat racing series E1 recently completed its third Grand Prix of its inaugural season. As the nine initial teams, led by a mix of celebrities and professional athletes, compete around the globe en route to the championship in Hong Kong this fall, E1 has added another gorgeous location for a summer GP – Lake Como.
The UIM E1 World Championship is a young but exciting new electric racing boat series announced in 2022. Since then, co-founders Rodi Basso and Alejandro Agag have assembled an impressive roster of team owners, including Tom Brady, Rafael Nadal, Steve Aoki, Sergio Perez, and, most recently, Will Smith.
E1 kicked off its inaugural season in February with the Jeddah GP in Saudi Arabia, in which Team Brady took 1st place, followed by Team Rafa. Brady’s team would score a second win during the series’ Venice GP in May, leading in points heading into the Puerto Banús GP in Spain, which took place earlier this month.
Team Miami, led by Marc Anthony, took first and now leads in overall points as we approach GP #4, which will take place in Monaco next month. Today, E1 announced Lake Como as a new addition to the 2024 race calendar alongside some slight changes to the number of total GPs this year.
Source: E1 Series
E1 will race on beautiful Lake Como this August
Per a release by E1 earlier today, it has added the Lake Como GP to the 2024 race calendar, scheduled for late August.
The race across the waters of gorgeous Northern Italy will depart from the world-renowned Grand Hotel Villa d’Este in a nine-team bout that hopes to promote electric motorsports and draw awareness to sustainability across the world’s precious marine-centric regions. Per E1 CEO and co-founder Rodi Basso:
A destination that’s synonymous with luxury and elegance, Lake Como and the iconic Villa d’Este are the perfect fit for E1. The Lake provides ideal racing conditions that will amplify the jeopardy and competitiveness that has quickly become a hallmark of the Championship. Together with Villa d’Este, we will work to deliver a memorable and world-class race weekend experience unlike any other.
Like all E1 events, the UIM Championship will work alongside local partners, like Hotel Villa d’Este, to protect blue habitats like Lake Como. The addition of the Lake Como GP is a welcomed one but alters the original 2024 race calendar announced by E1 last December.
The race on Lake Como will replace a previous GP scheduled in Rotterdam, Netherlands, this September. We also noticed E1 nixed a separate GP in Geneva, which was originally scheduled for this coming weekend. Here’s how the revised race schedule now looks:
Monaco – July 27-28
Lake Como – August 23-24
Hong Kong (Championship) – November 9-10
With only three Grand Prix remaining this season, the title as the first-ever UIM E1 World Champion is still up for grabs. We will be following this exciting new electric boat racing league throughout the rest of 2024 and are working on attending a race event to share the experience with you.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
The BYD “Shenzhen” set sail on its first voyage overseas this week. With 9,200 parking spots, or about enough to fill 20 football fields, BYD’s new car transport ship is now the world’s largest.
BYD’s largest car carrier sets sail for Brazil
BYD’s Shenzhen is on its maiden voyage to Brazil after setting sail on April 27. The vessel is carrying over 7,000 new energy vehicles (NEVs), including electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). It’s the largest single batch of NEVs exported from China so far.
The new vessel is BYD’s fourth car transport ship and the world’s largest, capable of carrying 9,000 vehicles. According to the company, that’s enough to fill about 20 football fields.
BYD launched its first car carrier, the Explorer No 1, in January 2024. It has already completed several trips to Germany, Spain, and Brazil.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
Its second, the BYD Changzhou, set sail in December 2024, followed by the Hefei earlier this year. All three vessels can carry up to 7,000 vehicles, making the Shenzhen the largest so far.
BYD Shenzhen, the world’s largest car transport ship (Source: BYD)
The Shenzhen is named after the automaker’s hometown and demonstrates “BYD’s firm determination to promote sustainable development in Brazil.”
BYD is preparing to launch two more vessels, the Changsha and Xi’an. The Changsha is expected to launch soon, while the Xi’an was introduced on April 2.
The new car carriers will help accelerate BYD’s aggressive overseas expansion. In the first three months of 2025, the company sold over 206,000 NEVs overseas, more than double the number it sold last year.
BYD sells a wide range of vehicles in Brazil, including the low-cost Dolphin Mini, starting at around $20,000 (99,800 BRL). In October, it launched its first hybrid pickup truck, the Shark, starting at 379,800 BTL ($66,900).
Brazil is only one overseas market that BYD is targeting. BYD’s sales are expected to double in Europe in 2025, with significant growth in other key regions like Southeast Asia, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea, to name a few.
‘Tesla homes’ in a Houston neighborhood where all the homes have Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls went for sale.
7 out of the 11 homes have reportedly already sold.
Tesla neighborhood is a term that is being used for new developments where all the homes integrate all or part of Tesla’s power ecosystem, including the Powerwall home battery pack.
The best example is a giant new development project in Austin, Texas, by Brookfield Asset Management and Dacra in which up to 12,000 new homes are to be built and offering Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
However, since the announcement, it looks like only some of the homes in the new neighborhood have Tesla energy systems.
One such ‘Tesla neighborhood’ is a small block of 11 townhouse homes featuring Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls in Houston, Texas.
The homes were recently completed and went on sale, starting at $544,900.
Here are some pictures from the listings:
Utopia Homes, the developer behind the project, described the properties (via Chron):
Step into modern elegance expertly crafted by Utopia Homes. This property showcases groundbreaking Tesla Solar Roof Shingles and Power Wall technology, ensuring 100% energy security and eliminating electric bills for a truly sustainable lifestyle.
The house has proved popular according to the real estate agents, with 7 out of 11 homes already sold.
Tesla has largely stopped discussing it, but it is still being deployed through some third-party installers, such as in this case, on new homes.
However, its Powerwall product remains a very popular solution for homeowners seeking greater energy independence and protection against outages, which have been a frequent problem in Texas.
More homeowners are turning to generators, and alternatives like home battery packs are gaining popularity.
Now is a great time to begin your solar journey. If you want to make sure you’re finding a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar – whether you’re a homeowner or renter. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20 to 30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online, and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Canadian electric propulsion specialist Vision Marine continues to graduate beyond advanced outboard motors into a provider of all-electric boats. This month, Vision introduced two new electric pontoon boats – the 12-passenger V24 and 15-passenger V30, each capable of a range up to 90 nautical miles.
Vision Marine Technologies ($VMAR) is a Canadian technology company with over 25 years of experience in the marine industry. The company made waves (literally) by introducing its E-Motion turnkey powertrain system, which it has since integrated into a catamaran speedboat, which set a speed record of 109 mph in 2022.
Since then, Vision has introduced six hp two-cruiser vessels – the Fantail 217 and Volt 180, each capable of transporting 10 passengers via its E-Motion technology. Most recently, Vision Marine has integrated the full power of its 180 hp electric powertrain technology into two additional vessels, both electric pontoon boats.
Earlier this month, the company officially began sales of the Vision V24 and V30, which you can view below.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
The V24 Electric Pontoon Boat / Source: Vision Marine
The V30 / Source: Vision Marine
Vision Marine brings power and range to electric pontoons
According to Vision Marine Technologies, orders for its two new electric pontoon boats are now open, and they are touting the same E-Motion technology that put the company on the map a few years ago.
The first model is the V24, a 12-passenger electric pontoon that is 24′ 8″ in length and has 180 hp. The ultra-quiet E-Motion powertrain is powered by a standard 43 kWh marine battery pack, offering 40 nautical miles (46 miles) of all-electric range on a single charge. For added range, Vision sells a version of the electric pontoon with a second battery pack, totaling 86 kWh and delivering up to 90 nautical miles (104 miles) of range.
While the V24 offers more of a classic attempt at the pontoon boat, Vision’s additional new vessel, the all-electric V30, is a tad sportier and provides room for more passengers aboard (15). This 30′ vessel features the same E-Motion powertrain options, complete with the same two battery configurations to offer the same ranges as the V24.
However, the V30 has additional features such as 4 x 6.5″ interior speakers and cool-touch seats. Both models feature an integrated onboard charger that supports both 120- 240V (30 to 50 amps) for seamless charging, no matter the dock plug while moored.
The Vision V24 starts at $99,995 for the standard battery pack version, while the V30 starts at a higher price of $139,995. As previously mentioned, both electric pontoon boats are available to order today.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.