Electric boats are still a rarity on America’s waterways, but everyone seems to agree they represent a cleaner, quieter future for our lakes, rivers, and coastal waters. Navier has moved impressively quickly from idea to prototype to production boat, and the startup is now touring the west coast, winning admirers in high places who hope to fit its electric hydrofoiling watercraft into a reinvented marine economy.
The boat itself, the N30, only existed on paper at the start of 2022, but by the end of last year the company had a full scale prototype on the water and had taken the wraps off a cabin version at a big boating show; now that one is on the water too. The velocity is impressive to say the least — but they need something more than innovation to turn that velocity into momentum.
To that...
