The turning of a new year seems a fitting time to take a look back at 2024 and some of the highlights and big moments in electric boating. This is the first of two newsletters that give a recap of a very exciting 366 days last year with many new boats and motors, lots of investments in existing and new technologies and plenty of signs that electric boating is on the rise.

But first - if you haven’t seen them yet, the winners of the 2025 Gussies for Excellence in Electric Boats and Boating

The 5th annual Gustave Trouvé Awards have wrapped up, the largest Gussies yet. Thank you to sponsors and electric revolution leaders Aqua superPower, BlueNav and Oceanvolt.

There is a link below to the full set of winners in 9 categories. Congratulations to them all, and to all of the boats nominated and selected as Finalists by the International Panel of experts. And of course, a huge thanks must go to all members of that panel.

…and back to our 2024 highlights

Returning to the year end review there are certainly a lot of stories that could be included in these recaps, but I’ve tried to keep it to a manageable size. In each month I have one highlight story, followed by some others that took place about the same time. Click on any of them to read the full stories in Plugboats.

I am sure there can be lots of debate about my selections as the ‘lead story’ for each month, but no debate that all of the stories together show electric boating is growing quickly, with even more opportunities for both boaters and the industry in the coming months and years.

So, without further ado: Thanks for your support of Plugboats and I hope you enjoy this newsletter.

Jeff Butler,
Editor / Publisher
Plugboats.com

2024 Highlights: January - June

February is a bit of a toss-up for major news. Certainly the first race of the E1 Series of global electric powerboat racing is a big moment, but so is the formation of IEMA – the International Electric Marine Association. Electric boating now has a global organization acting on its behalf, and is emerging as a strong and unified voice for electrification in all aspects of boating, shipping and related infrastructures.

ePropulsion launched their eLite model in February, huge outboard manufacturer Tohatsu got into the electric world, and UK motor company RAD Propulsion landed another £1M in funding.

»» Read the E1 Series Race 1 story
»» Read the IEMA launch story 

March: Groupe Beneteau key part of Candela €25 M funding

2024 was a huge year for electric hydrofoiling boat builder Candela, with one of the first indications being the closing of the largest funding round in the company’s history – 25 Million Euros (≈ $US27.13M) – to expand production of its game-changing P-12 ferry.

The investment was led by individuals and firms in the financial and technology sector, but what made this round even more interesting was that a key partner was Groupe Beneteau, the world’s largest boat maker. They have been in the electric boating world for the past couple of years with their flagship electric Delphia brand, a Four Winns sport boat and sailboats with electric propulsion from Excess Catamarans and Beneteau itself.

In other news, Australia got its first high performance electric yacht in the Genevo E8, French hybrid innovator BlueNav launched a new propeller inspired by the fins of whales and other sea mammals, and the world of high power motors welcomed two new entries - EVOA and ACEL Power.

»» Read the whole Candela / Beneteau story

April: Vaan R5 wins at MultiHull Awards

One of the top electric boating stories of 2023 was the Oceanvolt HP (High Power) Servoprop, which entered the highly competitive DAME Design Awards of the boating industry at the METSTRADE Show andnot only won the Propulsion & Dynamics Category but also the Overall 2023 DAME Award. It is a perfect match for the Vaan R5, which took top spot in its category at the 2024 Multihull Worlds. Throughout the year, electric boats were taking home top honours in many awards where fossil fuelies had been dominating. Another sign of the rise of electrons!

Maserati and Vita collaborated to produce the all-electric Tridente model (as Frauscher Boats and Porsche had done in 2023), Sialia Yachts introduced their 45 Sport (which went on to win The Gussies later in the year) and solar electric boat pioneer Silent-Yachts was invigorated by new owners.

»» Read the whole Vaan R5 story

In another electric boat and automotive collaboration, Marian Boats turned to ABT Sportsline – the largest tuning provider for vehicles from the Volkswagen and Audi Group – to create the M 800-R. Both are family companies and proud of their innovations. ABT has over 125 years of history, starting out when Johann Abt, a blacksmith, invented a horse-drawn carriage that could also be used as a sleigh in winter – a true hybrid. Marian was established in 2000 by current CEO Ion Marian as a repair and maintenance specialist, but quickly shifted focus to boat manufacturing. They have six models, (now seven) all with one goal – giving customers the thrill of piloting an excellently designed boat, electrically powered and precision-built.

In another collaboration (but at the smaller end of the power scale), ePropulsion and Raymarine, the world’s largest supplier of electronic equipment to the recreational market, announced that their systems are now integrated to provide motor data to boat owners on their Raymarine screens.

Also in May, Aqua superPower demonstrated their leading edge in the charging arena with the launch of a Vessel-to-Grid (V2G) program in the UK.

»» Read the whole Marian X ABT Sportsline story

June: De Antonio Yachts E23 selected official electric boat for the America’s Cup

The De Antonio E23, the company’s first electric model, was selected Official Electric Boat of the America’s Cup in November of 2023, but it is highlighted here because it was June when I was fortunate enough to be invited to a sea trial in Barcelona. I was also fortunate in being accompanied on the trial by De Antonio’s Technical Director, Javier Ibañez, and we were both fortunate to have the unexpected, thrilling and enlightening opportunity to join about a dozen other boats in chasing the Alinghi Red Bull Racing AC75 America’s Cup yacht on a training run.

The Electric Hybrid and Marine Show was held in Amsterdam in June and the winners announced on June 18. Meanwhile, In the USA, Halevai was launching their entry into the trimaran market, using a semi-planing hull suited for what many boaters want – an electric boat that can cruise for distance at low speeds but has power to get on plane when required for tubing or just getting to another location quickly.

»» Read the whole De Antonio E23 story

Part II of 2024 in Review – July to December – will arrive in your email in a couple of days