rbarthur21
Jet Boat Junkie
- Messages
- 113
- Reaction score
- 510
- Points
- 142
- Location
- Port Charlotte, FL 33952
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2020
- Boat Model
- SX
- Boat Length
- 19
Interesting topic I hadn’t read about previously. Here’s the link: Tesla of the Sea
Also, here’s the text:
The Tesla of the sea’
Swedish company sets logistics base in Sarasota
Patricia McKnightSarasota Herald-Tribune USA TODAY NETWORK
You may have seen a 26-foot, olive colored, minimalist boat cruising the water of Sarasota Bay. Or maybe you’ve caught a glimpse of it at full speed, 35 knots, which equates to about 40 mph. X Shore – self-dubbed “the Tesla of the sea” – is making its debut in Sarasota. Swedish entrepreneur Konrad Bergströmtrademarked and founded X Shore globally in 1996. By 2012, he began to work on crafting an electric boat, eventually completing the first working prototype in 2016. After reconfigurations, the company launched Eelex 8000 in September 2020 and has been turning heads ever since.
The company is still fairly small, with less than 60 full-time employees, and just four stationed in the U.S. All manufacturing is still done in Stockholm, with a new factory coming just south of its original location in Sweden to increase productivity. This past year, X Shore manufactured just over 70 boats, but is projected to produce 400 once the new factory opens. The new factory will create anywhere between 150 to 250 jobs. Currently, most employees in Sweden are engineers. X Shore is also looking to expand into parts of the U.S. for manufacturing, but the company hasn’t yet decided where. If the company opens manufacturing in Sarasota, where its logistics are based, it anticipates that around 200 new jobs will be created here as well.
Sarasota has had an extensive relationship with boat manufacturing. Companies like Yellowfin, Genmar Holdings, Chris-Craft Corp., and Wellcraft all have roots here, whether those companies have remained or not. With X Shore’s logistics based in the area, it could help revive the local boat manufacturing industry. “In terms of software, our company is special,” said Software Engineer Philip Ericsson. “A majority of our employees are engineers, software, electrical and mechanical, and we build everything ourselves. We do all the coding.”
‘A sustainable model’
The boat comes with a 25-inch touchscreen powered by Garmin with software designed by X Shore engineers. Engineers also created a Garmin MARQ smartwatch and mobile app that allows boaters to have a remote key to the boat on their wrist. It also acts as a man-over-board alert system. The app functions as a remote key and an assistant that constantly processes and reports incoming data like boat speed, charging status, available range and more. The system has over-the- air updates to keep boat features current. Similar to Tesla cars, the Eelex 8000 will be getting another high-tech over-the- air software update – auto-docking. X Shore prides its products on three pillars: sustainability, design and technology. “Sustainability has not been a conversation in the boating industry,” said Will Greene, U.S. operations manager for X Shore. “Historically, you know it’s not a really clean industry. So, what we’re concentrating on is a sustainable model both for the manufacturer and for the end-user experience.”
Zero to 100% in two and a half hours
Similar to the auto industry, boating is making the shift to more sustainable options. Most boats have gasoline-powered engines that produce carbon monoxide. When carbon monoxide is emitted into the atmosphere, it impacts the amount of greenhouse gases, which can be linked to climate change and global warming. Boats also have the potential to leak fuel in the water, which can cause an array of problems like increased pollutant concentrations in aquatic organisms and sediments, increased erosion rates, and increased nutrients, leading to an increase in algae — or red tide. X Shore’s fully electric boat cuts out fuel completely with its two 60 kWh lithium-ion batteries, making it essentially quiet when running. If using direct current to direct current, the batteries can be fully charged in two and a half hours. Cutting fuel also saves money. Another recreational boat of its size would average at least $500 to fuel up. According to X Shore, its boat only uses $10 to $20 worth of electricity each time to fully power the boat at a home dock.
‘Minimize impact on the environment’
X Shore’s sustainability model doesn’t just end at how it’s powered. The materials used for constructing the boat also are sustainable. Recreational boats commonly use aluminum or fiberglass that’s reinforced with wood and other materials. The Eelex 8000 deck is made out of cork, which is a sustainable and low-maintenance material. “The cool thing about cork is it doesn’t rot,” said Greene. “It doesn’t mold. It’s not slippery like a fiberglass deck would be. And furthermore, it doesn’t have the same type of maintenance that like a teak deck might have.”
This type of luxury boat does come at a price though. The Eelex8000 starts at $329,000 – and that’s just for an empty vessel. Seating or a table? That’s extra. But, that’s what X Shore is aiming for: a customizable vessel fit for the user’s specific wants and needs. This noiseless, fuel-less, 100% electric boat is evidence that Tesla’s clean, energy-efficient practice can be shifted to water vessels, which is particularly important to areas like Sarasota. “We’re really proud of the design,” said Greene. “It’s a pretty amazing boat. There’s really no noise, and so we’re just trying to minimize impact on the environment.
Also, here’s the text:
The Tesla of the sea’
Swedish company sets logistics base in Sarasota
Patricia McKnightSarasota Herald-Tribune USA TODAY NETWORK
You may have seen a 26-foot, olive colored, minimalist boat cruising the water of Sarasota Bay. Or maybe you’ve caught a glimpse of it at full speed, 35 knots, which equates to about 40 mph. X Shore – self-dubbed “the Tesla of the sea” – is making its debut in Sarasota. Swedish entrepreneur Konrad Bergströmtrademarked and founded X Shore globally in 1996. By 2012, he began to work on crafting an electric boat, eventually completing the first working prototype in 2016. After reconfigurations, the company launched Eelex 8000 in September 2020 and has been turning heads ever since.
The company is still fairly small, with less than 60 full-time employees, and just four stationed in the U.S. All manufacturing is still done in Stockholm, with a new factory coming just south of its original location in Sweden to increase productivity. This past year, X Shore manufactured just over 70 boats, but is projected to produce 400 once the new factory opens. The new factory will create anywhere between 150 to 250 jobs. Currently, most employees in Sweden are engineers. X Shore is also looking to expand into parts of the U.S. for manufacturing, but the company hasn’t yet decided where. If the company opens manufacturing in Sarasota, where its logistics are based, it anticipates that around 200 new jobs will be created here as well.
Sarasota has had an extensive relationship with boat manufacturing. Companies like Yellowfin, Genmar Holdings, Chris-Craft Corp., and Wellcraft all have roots here, whether those companies have remained or not. With X Shore’s logistics based in the area, it could help revive the local boat manufacturing industry. “In terms of software, our company is special,” said Software Engineer Philip Ericsson. “A majority of our employees are engineers, software, electrical and mechanical, and we build everything ourselves. We do all the coding.”
‘A sustainable model’
The boat comes with a 25-inch touchscreen powered by Garmin with software designed by X Shore engineers. Engineers also created a Garmin MARQ smartwatch and mobile app that allows boaters to have a remote key to the boat on their wrist. It also acts as a man-over-board alert system. The app functions as a remote key and an assistant that constantly processes and reports incoming data like boat speed, charging status, available range and more. The system has over-the- air updates to keep boat features current. Similar to Tesla cars, the Eelex 8000 will be getting another high-tech over-the- air software update – auto-docking. X Shore prides its products on three pillars: sustainability, design and technology. “Sustainability has not been a conversation in the boating industry,” said Will Greene, U.S. operations manager for X Shore. “Historically, you know it’s not a really clean industry. So, what we’re concentrating on is a sustainable model both for the manufacturer and for the end-user experience.”
Zero to 100% in two and a half hours
Similar to the auto industry, boating is making the shift to more sustainable options. Most boats have gasoline-powered engines that produce carbon monoxide. When carbon monoxide is emitted into the atmosphere, it impacts the amount of greenhouse gases, which can be linked to climate change and global warming. Boats also have the potential to leak fuel in the water, which can cause an array of problems like increased pollutant concentrations in aquatic organisms and sediments, increased erosion rates, and increased nutrients, leading to an increase in algae — or red tide. X Shore’s fully electric boat cuts out fuel completely with its two 60 kWh lithium-ion batteries, making it essentially quiet when running. If using direct current to direct current, the batteries can be fully charged in two and a half hours. Cutting fuel also saves money. Another recreational boat of its size would average at least $500 to fuel up. According to X Shore, its boat only uses $10 to $20 worth of electricity each time to fully power the boat at a home dock.
‘Minimize impact on the environment’
X Shore’s sustainability model doesn’t just end at how it’s powered. The materials used for constructing the boat also are sustainable. Recreational boats commonly use aluminum or fiberglass that’s reinforced with wood and other materials. The Eelex 8000 deck is made out of cork, which is a sustainable and low-maintenance material. “The cool thing about cork is it doesn’t rot,” said Greene. “It doesn’t mold. It’s not slippery like a fiberglass deck would be. And furthermore, it doesn’t have the same type of maintenance that like a teak deck might have.”
This type of luxury boat does come at a price though. The Eelex8000 starts at $329,000 – and that’s just for an empty vessel. Seating or a table? That’s extra. But, that’s what X Shore is aiming for: a customizable vessel fit for the user’s specific wants and needs. This noiseless, fuel-less, 100% electric boat is evidence that Tesla’s clean, energy-efficient practice can be shifted to water vessels, which is particularly important to areas like Sarasota. “We’re really proud of the design,” said Greene. “It’s a pretty amazing boat. There’s really no noise, and so we’re just trying to minimize impact on the environment.
