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Maritime electrification startup Navier has hit a significant milestone today by reaching commercial production of its flagship electric hydrofoiling boat and delivering the first model to a customer. Better still, the young company has done so in an impressively short time.

Navier is a Bay Area startup founded by two MIT alumni focused on building a new type of watercraft that cuts running costs by 90%. That approach combines hydrofoils, electrification, advanced composites, and an intelligent software system into one sustainable and cost-effective watercraft that can hydrofoil above the water, reducing drag and maximizing range.

The startup caught our attention in February 2022 after unveiling its flagship electric hydrofoil, the Navier 27 (N27), followed by a successful seed funding round totaling $7.2 billion to get those initial vessels into production.

The N27 would evolve into the Navier N30 electric hydrofoiling boat, which was seen being tested in late December 2022 and touted by its makers to become the “longest-range electric boat” on the market and “the first commercially available electric hydrofoiling boat in the US.”

We’d argue that plenty of other electric hydrofoiling boats are on the market or arriving soon, including Candela, Vessev, and even a single-passenger design coming from Foil.One.

Regardless, Navier has made good on its promise to bring its first electric hydrofoiling boat to production and has just delivered its first N30 to a customer, a mere 2.5 years after unveiling the initial prototype design.

  • Navier Boat
  • Navier Boat

Navier N30 boats hit the market, with more builds to follow

Navier recently delivered a special edition of its first electric hydrofoiling boat, called the N30 Pioneer Edition, to a customer in California, marking the milestone with a celebration at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco. During the event, Navier founder and CEO Sampriti Bhattacharyya spoke:

This is an extraordinary milestone, not only for Navier, but for the American  maritime industry and for the electric vehicle market as a whole. We started Navier to build the  next generation of clean, highly efficient marine vessels that combine engineering excellence  with world class craftsmanship, and the N30 Pioneer Edition is a major step toward realizing  that vision. By delivering the most high-tech electric boat available today in just two and a half  years, we’re putting ‘America’ back in ‘maritime.’

The N30 is not only the first all-electric hydrofoiling boat in the US market, it’s also the longest  range electric boat in the world, with the open variant getting almost 100 miles at cruising speed  on a single charge. The N30 is like a high-tech luxury F22 Raptor on the water, with a flight  control system used by US Department of Defense vessels that enables highly precise  maneuverability at speed while also ensuring stability and reliability. We are proud to be building  the next generation of maritime transportation right here in the Bay Area.

As its nomenclature alludes to, the N30 is thirty feet long and propelled by twin 90 kW propulsion systems and aerospace-grade redundancies to deliver maximum safety. When it reaches the plane, the Navier boat glides above waves up to four feet high, offering a smoother and quieter ride than traditional vessels.

In its standard configuration, the N30 boat can travel over 75 nautical miles at a speed of 20 knots (23 mph) and is equipped with Navier’s proprietary maritime tech stack, which includes a high-performance flight control system, navigation platform, sensors, and actuator systems.

With the first customer delivery now complete, Navier said it will continue its lean, agile approach with “unwavering determination.” The startup allotted ten builds of the N30 Pioneer Edition in 2024, all of which have already been pre-sold.

Navier says the additional N30 boats are scheduled for delivery to buyers in the luxury hospitality space for use as guest amenities and to other individual buyers. 

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Podcast: China reaches EV tipping point, Tesla retreats, some slack with tax credit, and more

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Podcast: China reaches EV tipping point, Tesla retreats, some slack with tax credit, and more

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss China reaching the EV tipping point, Tesla’s retreat in Europe, EV buyers receiving some tax credit relief, and more.

The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

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We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.

Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:

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Cadillac is the luxury EV leader, but will it last without the $7,500 tax credit?

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Cadillac is the luxury EV leader, but will it last without the ,500 tax credit?

Cadillac is back and selling a surprising number of electric vehicles in the US. With a full lineup of electric SUVs, Cadillac now claims to be the leading luxury EV brand in the US. Can it keep it up even after the $7,500 federal tax credit expires?

After launching seven new electric vehicles this year, GM claimed that Cadillac became the leading luxury EV brand by market share. However, that doesn’t include Tesla due to its “pricing structure.”

Cadillac is coming off its best first-half sales since 2008, selling more vehicles across all 50 states. Nearly one in four Cadillacs sold in the US this year were EVs.

GM’s luxury brand is now selling more electric vehicles than some of its biggest rivals, including Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, and Volvo.

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According to the latest data from Cox Automotive, Cadillac sold over 11,700 EVs in Q2, up 62% compared to last year. Through the first six months of the year, it has sold nearly 20,000 electric vehicles. In comparison, Porsche has sold almost 7,200 EVs in the US, Mercedes sold about 8,000, and Audi has sold just over 11,500.

Cadillac-EV-tax-credit
2026 Cadillac Optiq EV (Source: Cadillac)

With an electric SUV in nearly every segment, including the entry-level Optiq, a midsize Lyriq, a three-row Vistiq, and the even larger Escalade IQ and IQL models, Cadillac is seeing an influx of buyers from other brands.

Cadillac prepares for the EV tax credit to expire

Around 70% of Cadillac’s EV buyers are from other brands, according to GM, and about 10% are former Tesla drivers. With big policy changes coming under the Trump administration, Cadillac, like the entire industry, will likely face some hurdles.

The administration already raised tariffs on imported vehicles and other auto parts, and at the end of September, the $7,500 federal EV tax credit is set to expire.

Cadillac-EV-tax-credit
2026 Cadillac Vistiq electric SUV (Source: GM)

In response to the changes, many automakers are shifting back to hybrid and gas-powered vehicles. Cadillac is no exception.

“They’ll have to have both for a number of years now,” according to Sam Fiorani, the vice president of AutoForecast Solutions. Fiorani explained (via The New York Times) that “The gas-powered vehicles make the money, and the EVs bring them a new market.”

Cadillac-EV-tax-credit
Cadillac ESCALADE IQL electric SUV (Source: Cadillac)

Cadillac was initially expected to have an all-EV lineup by the end of the decade. Thanks to the policy changes, Cadillac could continue offering hybrid and ICE vehicles for several more years.

Fiorani said that although GM planned to retire the gas-powered Escalade, it’s now due for a refresh that will be sold “well into the next decade.”

Cadillac-EV-tax-credit
Cadillac LYRIQ luxury trim (Source: Cadillac)

Earlier this year, Cadillac’s global vice president, John Roth, said during a media briefing that the company was in a better position than most with the policy changes.

All Cadillac vehicles are built in the US, except the Optiq, which is built in Mexico. According to Roth, the policy changes will have “very limited impact, if you will, on the Cadillac brand.” If anything, Roth said, it could be an opportunity for the luxury automaker.

If you’re looking to get ahead of the $7,500 EV tax credit expiration, we can help you get started. Check out our links below to find Cadillac’s electric SUVs in your area.

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Australia Post begins largest electric van pilot in its history

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Australia Post begins largest electric van pilot in its history

Australia Post is advancing its commitment to achieve Net Zero emissions across its operations by 2050 with the introduction of 36 new Mercedes-Benz eVito electric vans, expanding its existing fleet of over 5,000 EVs already in active service.

With an efficient 60 kWh battery and 85 kW (about 115 hp) electric motor, Mercedes’ eVito electric van is ideally suited to the sort of stop-and-go work of a delivery vehicle. What’s more the company’s factory upfit program, Merceds-Benz Vans Courier Solutions, makes it easier than ever for delivery and contractor fleets to spec out their vans exactly the way they need them.

And, even though the eVito’s 60 kWh battery is rated to “just” 261 km (162 miles), the sort of low-speed, high-regen duty cycle Australia Post is going to be putting it through should mean drivers see much better real world range than that — which is precisely the sort of information this 36 van pilot is meant to uncover.

“This is our largest electric van trial to date,” explains Australia Post Chief Sustainability Officer, Richard Pittard. “It’s a meaningful step forward as we continue building a modern, sustainable delivery network that meets the evolving needs of our customers while reducing our environmental impact.”

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Australia Post currently operates more than 3,600 three-wheeled electric delivery vehicles (EDVs), 1,500 e-bikes, nearly 200 UBCO DUTY electric motorcycles, and several Mitsubishi eFUSO electric box vans at its larger logistics centers.

The new eVito vans, once deployed at scale, will operate primarily in highly populated metro areas, where their positive impact on local air quality will be felt by the greatest number of people, and their respiratory health, as well.

Electrek’s Take


Mercedes eVito; via Australia Post.

This kind of deployment should be exciting to EV enthusiasts for a number of tried-and-true reasons, but this one is particularly exciting to Americans because we have an Administration actively pretending that electric postal vehicles aren’t ready for prime time. The success of programs like this one from Australia Post are just more egg in the face of these anti-EV clowns, and few things make me happier.

You can check out the official Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia eVito specs and measurements in the detailed brochure, below, then scroll on down to the comments and let us know what you think of MB’s baby Sprinter.

Mercedes eVito Specs


SOURCE | IMAGES: Australia Post.


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