Alternatives to gasoline engines are gaining popularity around the world. Will the United States follow?
The trend now spreading all around the world is impossible to ignore. In late 2020, Slovenia-based Greenline Yachts announced a partnership to provide boats for the world’s first all-electric charter company on the Telemark Canal in Norway. A similar program is underway in Sweden with a partnership between Candela, a builder of foiling electric boats, and solar-energy provider Nordsol for a network of charging stations on the Swedish archipelago.
In December, Vetus, the Dutch company best known for bow and stern thrusters, introduced electric motors for sail and small boats, while Quebec-based Vision Marine Technologies had an initial public offering that raised $27.6 million to start production on a 180-hp electric outboard. And don’t forget Volvo Penta, which partnered with Fountaine Pajot on a 40-foot catamaran powered by electric motors that the Swedish engine manufactur