Avon’s eJet 14-foot-8-inch RIB, introduced last year at the Cannes Yachting Festival, combines an 80 hp Torqeedo Deep Blue electric motor with a new Avon RIB hull form.
The boat pushes across the water via jet drives rather than props. Deep Blue is a high-voltage, brushless motor with NMEA 2000 and J1939 CAN interfaces that give the helmsman battery data, available range and other critical information on a helm display.
The vessel’s 32 kWh BMW battery, first used in BMW’s i3 series cars, should provide 90 minutes of run time at the eJet’s estimated 26-knot top-end with two people on board. Avon also is estimating seven hours of run time at a more leisurely 5 to 6 knots. The builder says the RIB’s standard cruise speed will be around 20 knots.
Compared to RIBs with gas or diesel engines, the eJet’s benefits include no fuel or oil to service or change. As with an electric car, owners will appreciate the vessel’s instant torque and near-silent running. The Avon team says it optimized usable space throughout the interior, and added a swim platform to augment that initiative.
With its projected top hop and easy-to-stow size, the Avon eJet could claim many tender garages when it hits the production line next year.
