Persico Marine and Zagato, the Italian automotive design house, just announced that they’re building a Persico Zagato 100.2 all-electric, limited-edition runabout with a state-of-the-art pod drive.
The new boat will be 26 feet long and weigh just 5,511 pounds, since it’s built with advanced composites. It could fit on a trailer, although you probably won’t see many at your local launch ramp.
It was unveiled at a video presentation at Zagato’s Milan headquarters, where Andrea Zagato, the company’s CEO, said, “The project started from a shared concept: the idea that the boat should be a collector’s item,” and it would be built with “the newest, most innovative technologies.”
Only nine will be built at the big Persico yard in Bergamo, and they will be customized for each owner. But the technology involved is interesting far beyond the individual boat.
The Persico Zagato 100.2 has an 83kWh lithium battery to power a DeepSpeed electric propulsion system from Sealence, an Italian startup. It uses a 205kW jet-pod motor to produce a cruising speed of 26 knots and a top speed of 43.5 knots. Range is just 28 nm at cruising speed, but an extra 83kWh battery pack can extend the range to 47 nm.
The electric-driven jet-pod motor works is based on outboard jets with a dynamic inlet, similar to the jets under the wings on passenger planes. The pod doesn’t have a reverse thruster, because the turbines can rotate in either direction for superior maneuverability.
Specs.: LOA: 26’; Beam: 8’; Draft: 2’2”; Disp.: 5.511 lbs.; Fuel: NA; Water: NA; Power: 205kW DeepSpeed pod drive. Read more:
