Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) Competition: Hull
Problem statement
Gas boats are expensive to maintain and contribute to the growing threat of global warming that is threatening the quality of life of future generations. When boaters switch to electric, they will reduce their carbon footprint by an estimated 2.8 tons per year and save $1,800 on expenses for gas and maintenance based on calculations for a boat used 40 times in one year (Gomez). The American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) is promoting making electric boats more achievable and widely available in the boating industry by hosting a competition to inspire teams across the country to build electric-powered boats. Currently, the technology for electric boats cannot compete with gasoline-powered boats and they are not as widely trusted for reliability by consumers, which makes them infeasible for corporations to produce. For instance, Vision Marine’s V32 is the fastest electric boat on the market reaching 109mph, whereas most commercial gas speed boats can travel at most 170mph (Harvey, 2022). We plan to build an electric-powered manned boat to complete a five-mile course in ASNE’s competition to bring more awareness to the possibilities of electric boat propulsion to industry members and consumers across the United States. We intend to accomplish this by making a watertight case for the battery and engineering it to last as long as a typical gas-powered boat. Our solution will provide a small step forward to the mass commercialization of electric boats and address these issues.
Team members
Olivia Roberts – leader
Simon Brooks – communicator
Molly Teske – accountant
Lilly Cook – admin
Client
Michael Briscoe, American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE)