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Vessev has been turning heads with its beautiful electric hydrofoiling boats in New Zealand and it will soon be turning heads in Northern Ireland as it has just received its first international order for an 11-person VS-9 from an eco tourism resort.
As CEO Eric Laakmann says, boats are basically snow ploughs, so it is not just about adding more power or more batteries to get through the water; it's about making the boats more efficient and taking the hull out of the water. Reducing the surface area is the solution to that.
The increased efficiency of hydrofoiling means the cost to operate is 90% lower than diesel. And it's a lot more comfortable for the passengers as well. With over 30 million boats in the world, almost all of them running on fossil fuels, there should be many more orders where that came from.
High fuel prices are hurting different demographics in different ways. We've seen stories of low-income households having to choose between food and transport; businesses reliant on diesel that are on the brink as margins shrink; and now, those in rural districts spending "as much as five times more of their household budgets on fuel than city dwellers".
Paul Spain heads to Central Otago to meet Mike Casey at Electric Cherries, exploring what happens when tech thinking meets hands‑on farming. Mike shares his journey from scaling tech startups in Sydney to creating New Zealand’s first fully electric cherry orchard, powered by onsite solar to reduce energy costs and build long‑term resilience. The conversation dives into the real economics of electrification, smart infrastructure choices, and how practical technology decisions can unlock productivity, sustainability, and future growth for New Zealand businesses.
Read moreDownloadThe OECD has just released its 2026 report on New Zealand's economy. And when it comes to energy, it basically gave us a 'must try harder' grade. On the proposed LNG terminal - which, remarkably, is still not dead yet despite all evidence suggesting it should be - the OECD said, as we have said, that it would not serve its intended function of lowering prices.
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