This 100% Electric Boat Could Be the Tesla of the Seas
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X Shore wants to be the Tesla of the seas and they're not afraid to say it — their name even reads like an inverted sea-themed equivalent to Elon Musk's other space-focused venture.
And yet, they are much more than a sea-faring copy of the famous electric road vehicles.
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Fighting air and sound pollution at sea
The shipping industry's carbon footprint is often overlooked when compared with aviation and car emissions. This year, for example, it was found that Sweden's shipping industry emits more greenhouse gases and air pollution than its domestic aviation.
In a bid to tackle the issue, X Shore has developed the Eelex, a 100 percent electric boat with Rolls-Royce propellors and hydrodynamic drivetrain modularity — meaning pieces can be safely repurposed to different specifications.
As well as tackling the emissions problem, the Eeelex allows a more relaxing seafaring experience. A groundbreaking propulsion system makes the yachts glide relatively silently across the sea surface.
The idea stemmed from founder Konrad Bergström's own nautical expeditions:
"I was going out as a stressed-out businessman with all the fumes from the engine, and creating sound pollution," Bergström told Forbes.
"Yet I wanted to be in harmony with the sea, to hear the sound of water against the side of the boat, to get my energy back. I couldn't hear the other people in the boat over the noise of the engine."
Maverick founder draws Elon Musk comparisons
Drawing further comparisons with Tesla, X Shore founder Konrad Bergström has, until now, invested his own capital into financing the electric sea vehicles. X Shore is currently valued at €50 million and the company hopes to raise a further €2.5 million through crowdfunding website FundedByMe.
In an impressive feat of prioritization, Bergström sold two of his early ventures for €1 before founding Zound Industries, a speaker and headphone company that went on to become Sweden's fastest-growing startup.
He can also be seen giving keynotes on his mission with X Shore — next month he'll be appearing at Barcelona's Wise Punk startup event.
The Eelex can travel up to 100 nautical miles on one charge and can travel at a speed of up to 40 knots. Its price starts at €250,000, though much like Tesla before it, this will lower as production scales up.
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