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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.
Political Power has gone local! Dr Nick Smith, mayor of Nelson and ex-National Party minister, is an early adopter when it comes to electric machines but, through his efforts with the council and his close involvement with the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme, he's also embracing one of Rewiring's core mantras: once you've electrified your own life, electrify someone else's life, too.
Read moreDownloadWhether it's the growing number of electric buses, new electric trains for the lower North Island and City Rail Link, or new electric ferries, we love seeing more electric transport options in our big cities. It's also good to see some of our smaller cities like Palmerston North, Timaru and Nelson going electric and, as is almost always the case, the drivers reckon it's better on electrons. At the Electrify Nelson expo, we spoke with one driver Lee about the city's electric buses. And he definitely wouldn't go back to diesel.
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