Quiet revolution happening right now on Australian waterways
by Power Equipment 12 Dec 2021 22:36 PST
GoBoat © Matthew Wheare
If what is currently happening on some of Australia's busiest and most iconic waterways is anything to go by, you can forget electric cars or nuclear submarines - prepare for the rise and rise of the electric boat!
While many of us are watching the transition to hybrid and electric vehicles on our roads with keen interest, an important electric transport revolution is also under way on Australian waterways.
Some of Australia's iconic and best-known harbours, rivers and lakes are seeing electric outboards lead the charge towards clean and quiet boating options as Australians increasingly enjoy their own states and territories for Covid-era holidays and weekend escapes.
And it's no passing fad - just ask Nick Tyrrell from GoBoat Australia.
Nick launched his electric hire boat fleet in Canberra, (on Lake Burley Griffin), in 2017. He was inspired by similar all-electric boating operations he experienced whilst visiting Stockholm a couple of years before.
GoBoat has since expanded to five other sites across four capitals and Nick is in the process of launching his newest operation at Cabarita on the lower reaches of the Parramatta River leading into the iconic Sydney Harbour.
Now at more than 50 boats across all its city locations, the GoBoat fleet is (literally!) quietly taking over the some of the busiest waterways in the country.
And while this electric revolution is significantly quieter than its traditional outboard counterparts, the pollution benefits for busy inner-city areas are obvious too.
With older technology 2-stroke outboards banned from sale in Australia officially last year, (some such engines can be emitting up to ten times the pollution of a car), electric outboards leave all emissions issues in their wake.
Tourists and local day-trippers alike are enjoying cleaner fun and much more.
"On a GoBoat for example it's not only the fact that you don't have to follow paths or roads while you explore, it's a boating experience that is quiet the entire time - the conversation and environment isn't drowned-out by a roaring petrol engine," Nick explains.
The GoBoat fleet utilises the Torqeedo Cruise 2.0 electric outboard aboard its Rand Picnic 18 hulls, a match that has worked perfectly for the company in terms of style and practical application - even for completely novice users.
The Torqeedo Cruise 2.0 delivers around the same power of a 5-horsepower petrol outboard.
In 2015, when the Torqeedo was first introduced to Australia by engine distributor Power Equipment, electric marine engines were virtually unheard of. Since Power Equipment's launch of the Torqeedo range, the company has delivered more than 2,000 Torqeedo engines to Australian boaties and commercial operators.
The Scandinavian-based Rand boat brand are an interesting leader in the electric revolution in their own right, producing hulls exclusively designed for electric propulsion - one of very few boat builders in the world to do so.
Nick's GoBoats are mostly governed to around half of their potential power output, for the sake of legal and safety obligations on the waterways they operate.
"We had to keep speeds under 10 knots and governing the output also helps ensure we can get a full day of operation out of the batteries," Nick said, "but it's a relaxed experience of course, so speed is not an issue."
Electric marine engines are finding their way onto all kinds of Australian marine and enclosed waterways - particularly where traditional petrol and diesel-powered engines are banned.
If European and North American regulations banning internal combustion engines on many lakes and rivers are anything to go by, it is safe to say Australia will follow suit.
The German-made Torqeedos offer a range of marine engines from 3 to 100 horsepower that can be powered by different battery options, including the brand's own lithium power packs that are lightweight and long lasting.
In fact, electric boating has become an icon of its own design, with Queensland tourism online and billboard campaigns now featuring a GoBoat near the famous Story Bridge in the Brisbane CBD.
The electric boating revolution may not yet be televised... but it's certainly being advertised!