Hybrid Boat Waves Hello to S.F. Bay
The super-fast, super-sleek 25-foot speedboat uses a combination of electric and diesel engines to produce a low-emission vessel that should warm the hearts of the greenest motorboat sailor.
"Everybody knows about hybrid cars, but hybrid boats are different," said Michael Frauscher, managing director of the company that built the boat.
Most air pollution from motor boats comes in the harbor, when the boat is idling or running at low speed, said Michael Chrisman, California's secretary of resources, who went for a demonstration ride on the bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge.
The hybrid solves the problem by starting and running in the harbor under electric power. The demonstration boat's electric motor was so quiet Friday that no one could hear it.
The manufacturer says this is the world's first hybrid recreational boat. The hybrid boat shown has a price tag of $185,000 and is made by Frauscher Bootswerft.
