Jeff and Michael Smit are keen boaties and waterskiers (and also cousins) and, as Jeff says, it all started when they were holidaying at Glendhu Bay one summer. They realised they were spending over $100 a day on fuel when they were out on the water. The new electric boats were out of their league, so they decided to see if it was possible to do something better themselves. That turned into a business that aimed to electrify existing boats affordably.

Using old Nissan Leaf motors and Halb battery packs, they developed a trial boat (with the help of a grant from EECA) that cost just over $10 for a day of electrons. And that came without the noise or the fumes and all of the performance of petrol.

Just like driving, Michael says many boaties don't actually know how long they run their boats for on a day out, but the 40kWH battery can run at full bore for around 40 minutes. Generally, Jeff says waterskiing boats are running on power about 25% of the time and the rest of the time it's idling.

Just like on the roads, range is also a common concern, but during a recent 'business trip' down south, the boat was able to go from Glendhu Bay to Wānaka and back with a full load and it still had 30% left in the battery.

Bigger battery packs that can fit in a smaller space - which they are developing for the next iteration - will allow the boats to run for longer and it is also developing an electric outboard.

Going electric has given their old family boat from the 1970s a new lease on life - and there are plenty of other boats around the country of a similar age that have the potential to be electrified.

Plus, if you're trying to find a justification for that electric retrofit, Jeff says boats generally sit outside in one place for most of the year, unlike cars, and that makes them a much better option when it comes to two-way charging. We'll call that T2G, or toy-to-grid.

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