Mercury Racing and Navico Partner With Electric Powerboat Racing Series
Mercury Racing and Naivco have partnered with the E1 Series to support a future racing organization set up exclusively for electrically powered boats. Mercury Racing is the Official Propulsion and Propeller Partner for the series. Navico announced that Simrad electronics are the Official Marine Electronics Partner and C-Map is the Official Cartography Partner. Both brands will assist in developing on board systems and RaceBird’s cockpit for the E1 racing championship.
“Mercury Racing is excited to contribute to this challenge and looks forward to joining the E1 Series, SeaBird Technologies and Victory Marine in the development of high-performance electric powertrain components,” said Stuart Halley, Mercury Racing general manager. “Sustainable technology is already playing an important role in the future of marine motorsports and we anticipate a successful partnership with the three organizations and the products that will result from our combined efforts.”
Added Knut Frostad, CEO of Navico, “The electrification journey is quickly taking hold in the boating industry and we believe the E1 Series is a perfect platform to raise the bar around innovation and encourage action in marine conservation and sustainability.”
First of Its Kind
The E1 Series partnership is designed to create the world’s first electric powerboat racing championship sanctioned by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). It plans to have races held close to shore in urban areas. The series recently unveiled a full-sized prototype of the RaceBird, a hydrofoiling boat that was designed by SeaBird Technologies and Victory Marine. It features an electric outboard motor, enclosed cockpit and hydrofoils.
The boats are powered by a Kreisel 35kWh battery and a motor with 150kW peak power output and have a projected top speed of 58 mph. The boats will rise out of the water on the foils and ride above the surface. Victory Marine will build the boats.
C-Map and Simrad products will provide navigation and marine electronics for the RaceBirds and support craft at the events, integrating the latest Simrad technology and C-Map digital cartography and race-management systems into the cockpits.