PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 9, 2022
The first practical, safe motorboats were electric and were used to ferry attendees at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. But the fledgling electric power trains were soon replaced by the internal combustion engine, with its associated emissions, noise and water pollution. But there is a movement in the marine industry for a return to electric power. Maine boatbuilders have recently joined the movement. Hodgdon Yachts is the latest to take on an electric powerboat project. The Boothbay boatyard has been selected to build a 34-foot, high-performance electric yacht for Vita Yachts of the United Kingdom.