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Will Electric Hydrofoils Replace Every Boat on Water?
16 de septiembre de 2025 · 28 min · 769 visitas
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Eric Lachman, CEO of Vestav, explains why hydrofoiling is the critical efficiency unlock for electric marine vessels, delivering more than a 2x drag reduction by lifting the hull clear of the water.10:49
Lachman traces a path from electrical engineering at Apple — where he worked on iPod, iPhone, and three Apple Watch generations — through seven years living aboard a Beneteau sailboat and later a catamaran in San Francisco, to a 2018 circumnavigation via the Inside Passage, Mexico, French Polynesia, Tonga, and New Zealand.4:37 That combination of product development and bluewater experience shapes Vestav's approach. He argues the biggest barrier to marine electrification is not battery energy density but marina charging infrastructure, which was sized for basic onboard loads and has not kept pace with EV demand.5:35 His counter-strategy: build a product that outperforms diesel on its own merits rather than relying on regulation or environmental pressure.8:11
Vestav's first commercial product, the VS9, is a nine-meter, 10-seat hydrofoiling ferry running on a 100 kWh battery pack that charges from standard Type 2 car chargers, requiring no exotic marina infrastructure.15:36 The first hull has completed 4,000 nautical miles and 140 consecutive on-time scheduled services for New Zealand operator Fullers 360.14:25 Lachman identifies slow boats and very large vessels as segments where hydrofoiling offers no advantage, and sustainable liquid fuels as the more practical solution for low-mileage recreational use.12:20
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