Vision Marine powers world-speed-record Hellkat electric boat
FUTURRIDE - August 29, 2022 - KEVIN JOST
Over the weekend,
Montreal-based Vision Marine Technologies, in partnership with Hellkat Powerboats, reached a historic milestone by shattering the 100-mph speed barrier for an electric watercraft. They smashed the world record for the fastest electric boat, achieving a top speed of 109 mph at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout 2022 in Missouri.
The Hellkat V32 32-ft catamaran hull was specifically designed to accommodate the battery banks to power a pair of Vision Marine’s flagship E-Motion electric outboards to break the record.
“The results we observed from this weekend’s race are only the tip of the iceberg,” said Xavier Montagne, Vision Marine’s CTO & COO. “This accomplishment is the fruit of many years of close technical collaboration with our European and American partners. We worked hard on optimizing the electric motors, the 700-V batteries, the cooling circuitry, and the hardware and software integration, which are quintessential to our success as a leader in the electric marine propulsion industry.”
Vision Marine’s internal engineering team and Shaun Torrente, President of Shaun Torrente Racing, rigged and tested the V32 in Florida over several months. A unique battery pack was developed by Vision Marine in partnership with race-sponsor Octillion Power Systems. Verso Capital-backed Nextfour Solutions, a large industrial technology and design agency based in Finland, supplemented the vessel’s monitoring systems. Pat Weissman of Traction Products, Inc.’s Weisman Marine LLC, the maker of racing transaxles and transmissions, engineered the outdrives.
Commercial ambitions
While breaking the speed record was exciting, Vision Marine’s management, led by its CEO, Director, and Co-founder Alexandre Mongeon has bigger ambitions for the commercial boating market. The company’s leaders believe there is a dire need for a performance electric outboard that can accommodate a wide range of vessel applications.
The company says its flagship E-Motion outboard powertrain is the first fully electric purpose-built outboard powertrain system that combines an advanced battery pack, inverter, and high-efficiency motor with proprietary union assembly between the transmission and electric motor design using extensive control software. The powertrain systems engineering is said to improve the efficiency of the outboard powertrain, enhancing both range and performance.
Vision Marine also designs, manufactures, and sells high-performance electric recreational power boats to customers. The company says the design and technology applied to its own boats results in enhanced performance, with higher speeds and longer range.
It also shares its technology with others.
More recent mentions of Vision Marine Technologies new world record:
- Electric Boat With Vision Marine Outboard Motors Hits 109 MPH – Inside EV’s
- Vision Marine Technologies and Shaun Torrente Amp Up the Electric Speed Boat Record – Wave to Wave
- World’s Fastest Electric Boat: Vision Marine’s V32 Can Run at 109 mph, Sets New Record – Tech Times
- Vision Marine Sets the World Speed Record for Electric Boats at 109 MPH – Soundings
- Vision Marine smashes the world record for world’s fastest electric boat – Powerboat World
- Electric boat breaks new speed record at 109 mph with Vision Marine’s new outboard motor – Electrek
- The World’s First 100+ Mph Electric Boat Is Here, Watch the Record-Breaking V32 in Action – Autoevolution
- Premier bateau électrique à 100 mph au monde : Vision Marine bat le record du monde – Marine Industry News
- Vision Marine Sets Electric Speed Record – CleanTechnica
- Electric boat breaks speed record with 109 MPH . track – News7g
- Vision Marine Sets Electric Speed Record – Trend Radars
