Plugboats: New EB EINS ultralight electric boat weighs only 89 kilograms

 

Apr 12, 2023

One of the issues right now for electric planing boats is, to put it simply…the weight of the batteries.

For a planing sport boat in the neighbourhood of 20-25 feet, there is a constant battle between the power needed to get the boat up and staying on plane with the weight of the battery needed to achieve any range.

Electric boats are unparalleled at getting on plane – they have the instant torque of electric motors on their side to get the boat ‘out of the hole’ For range though, the more range desired, the bigger the battery required. But a bigger battery means more weight, which means more power required to stay on plane, which means a heavier battery, which…

That is not to say there aren’t electric boats that do it – the new H2E by Four Winns, the X Shore 1, the Magonis Wave e-550 and the Nautique GS22E wakeboarding towboat, to mention a few. But this weight/power conundrum is a big reason why there aren’t more of them. Just yet.

One of the ways to address the physics challenge is with hydrofoiling, like the Candela 8. When the speed for hydrofoiling is achieved and the 26 foot boat is lifted out of the water, there is virtually no drag or friction on the hull and the company says “At 20 knots, the energy usage per nautical mile is just 0.8 kWh, about 0.1 litre of gas.”

KAEBON of Germany has a different idea of how to achieve speed and range with minimal energy consumption. Just make a really really light boat.

(Right) EINS1 at Boot Düsseldorf 2023

Their EB EINS (Electric Boat One) weighs only 89kg – 196 pounds – about the weight of the average US male. It is made of a foam sandwiched between two ultralight layers of carbon fibre, and every detail has been looked at to reduce weight. For instance, heavy metal cleats are replaced with a light loop of line that threads through the hull.

The hull is also designed to have almost no displacement. That is not just because of the low weight but also because it has a relatively wide and definitely shallow profile.

The bottom of the hull was designed by a naval architect, and the top of the hull by an automobile design company that does work for Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and BMW.

The carbon fibre composite is made by a company in Dubai that does a lot of architectural work with flowing curves and shapes. That made them ideal for the EB EINS because the top half was imagined as a 2020s version of classic ‘Gentleman Racer’ cars by Mercedes and others in the 1920s.

It all blends beautifully with the bottom of the hull, which has a slightly bulbous keel that keeps everything stable when the boat is going at planing speed.

Planing speed is a bit of a misnomer, because the weight and profile means the EB EINS is almost half planing before the motor is even started. At rest it appears to sit on top of the water almost like a canoe.

All of this means that the boat can go at a pretty good clip even with a small electric outboard. It can be ordered with a Torqeedo Cruise 6 or Torqeedo Cruse 12, the equivalent of about 10 and 20 horsepower respectively.

With the Cruise 12 the EB EINS can hit a top speed of 30km/h – 16 knots. Now that may not set every powerboater’s heart aflutter, but it is enough to get a bit of a speed thrill, especially when the driver and passenger are sitting so low to the water.

At the end of the day, though, the boat cuts a stylish figure at any speed. One of the things that can’t be shown in the images is the quietness of the electric motors. Whether you’re out for a leisurely picnic afternoon or want to make a zippy trip somewhere, you’ll be able to enjoy a conversation with your boating partner as well as all the freshness of the air and water around you.

Jeff Butler is based in Toronto and is the Editor/Publisher of plugboats.com, the international website covering everything electric boats and boating. He is also President of the Electric Boat Association of Canada and is busy preparing to bring electric motor boat racing and exhibitions to Toronto Harbour in 2023 for the first Toronto Solar Boat Races.