Scanning the water on a thin hydrofoil and it looks like a lower flight UFO than a boat.
But the E1 series “RaceBirds” – a single-seater power boat with a 6,000-volt engine that can reach speeds of up to 50 knots (58 mph, or 93 kph) – is far from extraterrestrial. Instead, they are part of a burgeoning sport that wants to bring electric cars into the water.
That’s the pitch behind the UIM E1 World Championship. Called “Formula One of the Sea,” it already has the support of owners of celebrities teams such as Will Smith, LeBron James, Tom Brady, Rafael Nadal, Sergio Perez and Viratocoli.
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The second run of the series, the 2025 Championship, is being held at seven locations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Doha, Qatar. Dubrovnik, Croatia. Lago Maggiore, Italy. Monaco; Lagos, Nigeria; and Miami. The nine teams are the race stage to race and become water champions. However, for competition founders, it’s not just a competition. They want to prove that electric motors can make a leap into the ocean.
“Water mobility contributes to pollution,” former NASA scientist and F1 engineer Roddy Basso, co-founder and CEO of E1, told Live Science. “Now, sustainability is becoming an almost difficult word. It started with communication and awareness. It was necessary. There is a problem. But now we cannot continue to give this anxiety. We need a solution. Boat is the solution.”
A new sport has been born
Basso’s E1 inspiration came during the early Covid-19 pandemic as he and Alejandro Agag (now E1’s chairman and co-founder and pioneer of Electric Motorsports Formula E and Extreme E Championship) were walking along the Thames River in London.
Related: The world’s number one electric flying passenger ship “may revolutionise the way we travel on the water”
After Basso provided sparks of the idea of an electric boat boat championship, Agag offered investment and motorsport expertise to get developments off the ground or off the surface. Taking inspiration from the way birds glide across aquatic surfaces, the 24-foot-long (7.3 meters) boat was designed by Seabird founder Sophie Horn to lift the upward hull over 3 feet (1 m) from the surface at a speed of 19.5 mph (31 km/h).
“It’s like pulling back a plane stick. “It’s more like flying than driving a boat,” said Sam Coleman, a pilot for Team Brady, who won the first E1 World Championship in 2024.
This feat means that when the boat balances on three wing-like foil, it produces much less waves, reducing coastal erosion. Also, water reduces friction to increase the speed of the boat. These design elements, combined with a 20-second boost, charge the battery output from 95 kilowatts to 140 kilowatts, allowing the boat to reach 50 knots.
However, enhanced speeds come with some major downsides. Bringing racebirds into the foil can make them faster, but they can’t make sharp turns either. It also introduces the risk of cavitation into the water below, namely the formation of air bubbles.
“About 50 knots, they’re going to be unstable,” Basso said. “The water around the foil begins to bubble, which can lead to less pressure, less force pushing the boat up, and the boat can collapse.
“Now, the pilot has built an incredible sensitivity and understanding, finding where the moment is and riding on the edge of the moment,” he added.
This requires careful management of when the pilot will use the boost and when the boat will be lifted onto the foil during the race, where they compete in a series of time trials and compete in the final five-boat battle to the finish line.
To win the competition, you have to find the right race line around the corner. That might mean hitting the water near the buoy, while navigating through the choppy water produced by other boats.
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It requires huge concentration and split second decisions, both of which are even more tense due to the cockpit temperature, which can rise to 167 degrees Fahrenheit (75 degrees Celsius).
“It’s drained, like sitting in a sauna and trying to drive a racing simulator bouncing up and down,” Coleman said. “The windows are so small that you’re absolutely nailed, and all of a sudden you’re a point of some degree in the trim setting, which is enough to induce a poll pose, or vibration.
To ensure that the pilot does his best, a team of engineers analyzes data obtained from every part of the boat to shore before advising them on the radio. Team owners also closely follow the results of the race.
“Tom Brady is the team owner of our team, and the way I say it’s very surreal is that he’s crazy about it,” Coleman said. “He follows that, like when Rafa and Will Smith were on Lake Como. They had a great time, they enjoyed it, they understand it, they are very competitive and have great opportunities to help bring their eyes to new sports and boost it.
Move in silence
Keeping the race fresh and competitive means there is a consistent change in the Racebirds engine and propellers. Design tuning is not only to improve performance and handling, but also to minimize the impact of zero emissions and virtually silent crafting on the surrounding environment.
According to E1 chief scientist Carlos Duarte, the result was an electric vessel that was about 50 times quieter than a traditional combustion engine boat. Duarte, a marine biologist who won the 2025 Japan Prize for his contributions to the study of Marines and Coastal Ecology, keeps the ship quiet in a voluntary scheme with industry through E1.
“As we saw during Covid lockdown, it’s only a 20% decrease. [ships’] Noise, Dualte told Live Science, “There have been reports from around the world of large marine animals in areas that have not been seen for decades. And in fact, dealing with noise creates benefits for boat operators, as electric boats are not only quiet, but are more cost-effective than combustion engine boats.”
Duarte also oversees efforts to improve the waterways and ecosystems of E1 Race City. These measures include aquatic recovery and conservation efforts, as well as steps to offset the environmental impact of race itself.
He said building stakeholder partnerships through E1 is a key pathway for environmental recovery, particularly “despite my scientific qualifications in marine space,” he said, and that he and the scientists in general lack of impact.
“The reality is that I don’t have a voice, but I want to help people with voices convey a message they think they need to communicate to society,” Duarte said. “It’s also a platform where voiced celebrities can help me, the E1 approach of team leaders.”
The 2025 E1 season will be held from January 25th to November 8th with upcoming races taking place in Lagos on October 5th and in Miami on November 8th.
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