Photo Gallery Battery Powered Boats
The Swiss manufacturer Boesch has become a leader in manufacturing stylish and functional electric-powered boats.
And while they might look like the classic Italian-made Rivas, the drive trains in these wave cruisers are state-of-the-art. Propelled by military-grade power cells, Boesch is testing a model with 162 horsepower (120 kilowatts).
The electric speedboats already make up a third of the company's profits. A model can set a customer back anywhere between 190,000 and 330,000 ($260,000 and $460,000).
For more than 90 years, the Boesch's boat-making business in the town of Kilchberg near Lake Zurich has been family-owned.
When Boesch first started building electric boats, prototype engines were little more than a pile of car batteries stuck under the hull. Now lithium-polymer batteries from a military outfitter, like the one seen here, serve as the craft's energy storage system.
Eight-cylinder engines are a thing of the past. Here, the engine bay on one of Boesch's e-boats leaves just enough room for a compact electric motor and rechargeable batteries.
Electric boat technology has existed for over a century, but it's been exploited by navies more than the commercial boating sector.
Markus Boesch says most other battery-powered boats are nothing more than "lame barges" -- comparable to sluggish golf carts used at country clubs. His models are different.
