It’s fair to say that water sports are going to become more eco-friendly in the future, and we have Ingenuity Electric to thank for getting the water ball rolling.
The electric propulsion company has teamed up with Nautique Boat Company to craft the world’s first fully electric towboat, the Super Air Nautique GS22E. Designed specifically for towing skiers, wakeboarders and wakesurfers, the battery-powered craft delivers all the torque those activities require, only without any harmful emissions.
Based on the popular gas-powered Super Air Nautique GS22, the GS22E looks just you’re your classic surfboat. Measuring 22 feet in length, it has a sleek and sporty design that’s perfect for cutting through the water. The fully customizable interior has room for up to 11 and includes Nautique’s fold-down Flight Control Tower towing apparatus, transom seating and strapless board racks.
Nautique Boat Company and Ingenuity Electric Super Air Nautique GS22E Nautique Boat Company
The two GS22s may look the same, but their powertrains couldn’t be more different. The GS22E is propelled by an electronic drive system designed by Ingenuity. Fitting seamlessly into the body of the boat, the system gets its juice from a 120kW/hr high-density battery pack that will provide instant torque delivery. The companies haven’t provide performance numbers, but they promise the boat has more than enough power to tow wakeboarders and wakesurfers behind it for hours at a time and will be good for years of primary use.
Of course, zero emissions comes at a cost. In this case, it’s time. If you like to spend an entire day on the lake, the GS22E isn’t likely the boat for you just yet as it can only run for two to three hours at a time. As for charging, the boat takes 10 hours when plugged into an AC outlet, four hours when plugged into a DC outlet and just an hour-and-a-half when plugged into a supercharger. If you’re serious about water sports, you’re going to want to look into a supercharger.
Nautique Boat Company
Of course, the world’s first battery-powered tow boat won’t come cheap; it starts at $292,711. You can reserve yours now through the Nautique website. If you want to try before you by, the electric watercraft will be available for use at Homewood High & Dry Marina on Lake Tahoe this summer.
