Aptera Launches Hybrid Electric Wake Boat - 3/24/09

Chris Anthony, co-founder and Chief of Composite Operations of Aptera is also the CEO of Epic Boats. Epic Boats makes great wake boats and has just announced the launch of their first electric hybrid boat called the EPIC 23e. The boat is a plug in hybrid with what the company calls a Flux Propulsion EVO 8.1 Marine Drive System. This new system allows for an all electric operation using lithium ion batteries for over four hours, then switching over to the gas powered generator that recharges the batteries. This would be considered a serial hybrid vehicle where the gas powered generator is not helping propel the vehicle. According to EPIC, this system will allow for a 50% reduction in fuel consumption, which will result in a 50% drop in CO2 and a 90% drop in carbon monoxide inhaled by a skier behind the boat.

The 22 foot EPIC 23e will have the equivalent of 375 horses. Hopefully it will hit the water in July of 2009. The price will be around $150,000, but they hope to bring that down to the $75,000 range by 2012.

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