The RaceBird is specially designed for foil-to-foil racing and is capable of reaching speeds up to 50 knots
after the racing as a lasting legacy and encourage the local community to move to electric boating.
Agag comments: “Marine mobility is a big source of pollution in waters. We have to electrify as much as possible and the first step towards that is to electrify recreational mobility. We hope to use E1 to be the platform where those technologies develop. Once they are perfected, you can facilitate general adoption of electric boats for the betterment of our ocean, lakes and rivers.”
THE RACEBIRD Looking at the newly designed RaceBird, you would be forgiven for mistaking it for a Star Wars X-Wing Fighter. The original inspiration for the RaceBird, however, came from designer Sophi Horne watching sea birds glide along the water at her family’s summer house on the Swedish coast.
Following an extensive validation process, the sinuous, organic lines of the original RaceBird design metamorphosised into something sharper, sleeker and more futuristic. The vessel is a completely new design and was co-created by Horne and Brunello Acampora, the Founder of Victory Marine. It features an outboard motor, enclosed safety canopy and hydrofoil technology. It will be seven metres long, with a beam of two metres and a foil height of half a metre.
Using hydrofoils, the 800kg carbon fibre boats will rise above the water’s surface, allowing for minimum drag and maximum energy efficiency. Being lifted above the surface will not only improve performance, but also promote close and competitive racing with a reduced wake when following an opponent. Basso adds: “We want to race with the water, not against it.”
Pilots will use identical powerboats for at least the first two seasons of the E1 Series, after which the regulations will open up permitting teams to design and develop their own bespoke
electric components. Similar to the approach Agag took with the FIA Formula E Championship for its inaugural season, the teams will all use standardised parts, including a lithium-ion battery from Official Battery Partner Kreisel. Basso notes: “The RaceBird presents a unique challenge and one that the teams at SeaBird Technologies and Victory Marine have delivered on.”
WHAT’S NEXT? With preparations for its debut season well underway, the E1 Series is set to unveil the first full-size RaceBird prototype at the Monaco Yacht Show in September 2021. The first event of the E1 Series is expected to kick off in early 2023.
The first season of the UIM E1 World Electric Powerboat Series is expected to consist of 10 events, five of which will be held in prestigious city-based venues and the other half in select locations in partnership with Extreme E. The circuits will be tight courses that offer unpredictable racing, skilled handling and challenging transitions to foiling. Up to 12 teams will be invited to race, with one male and one female pilot per team.
Basso concludes: “We’re already in conversation with a number of cities. Looking to race in places such as New York, Miami, London and Monaco… just to name a few. We’re looking at new ways in which we can deliver the world’s most disruptive on-the- water sport and entertainment product. One which champions electric powerboats.”
For more details visit
www.e1series.com
128 | SUMMER 2021 | ONBOARD
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164
