Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Super Air Nautique 230 E
Take a closer look at this ski boat’s electric motor.
Learn more about marine batteries.
Nautique’s Super Air Nautique 230 E eschews fossil fuel in favor of dual, brushless, permanent-magnet electric motors, marinized by LTSmarine. Tucked below a clear panel and ringed with neon-blue LEDs (flux capacitor, anyone?), these motors look out of this world but produce down-to-earth specs. Peak power is 80 kW per motor for a total of 160 kW. The continuous power rating is 110 kW. Maximum torque at the prop is a wake-sports-friendly 625 foot-pounds.
When I reached for the start button I realized the 230 E’s motor was already running. It is completely silent at idle. Powering away at low speeds I heard the faint hum of the water pump and the soft whir of the belt drive connecting the motors through a transfer case to the prop shaft. At running speeds my decibel meter peaked at 79, the sound of water rushing against the hull.
Load up the 230 E with passengers and have a wakeboarder take the tow line, and the boat performs much like its gas-powered twin. Though comparable to only a 215 hp gas engine, the LTSmarine motors pulled pro wakeboarder Kyle Rattray through multiple sets with little discernible difference, consuming 124 kW at 24 mph. The lower equivalent horsepower isn’t an issue because, unlike a gas engine’s, the maximum torque of an electric motor is available immediately. Peak speed is 34 mph, but this is a wakeboard boat, not a go-fast.
Nautique’s challenges with the 230 E are range of operation and time to charge. LTSmarine fabricates its own 39.4 kWh lithium-ion battery packs, which are banked in two pairs aboard this boat. They’re heavy, but Nautique notes a motor and one battery pack are comparable to a gas engine powertrain and a full fuel tank. The battery bank adds about 1,000 pounds. The proof-of-concept 230 E is estimated to produce enough power for four wake “sessions,” or about 45 to 60 minutes of run time. Recharge time is currently about four hours.
Comparable model: Super Air Nautique 230
