Venice airport transfers could be one of the services to benefit the most from the planned introduction of solar-electric boats to the city’s canals in the very near future.

A prototype for these kinds of boats has already been designed by a conglomerate made up of electric company Enel, the Corila association, and a group of local boating companies. It should be ready to be launched onto the waterways of the City of Canals before too long.

According to representatives of some of the companies involved in this project, the new boat’s main innovation is the placing of photo-voltaic cells on the roof of each vessel, which would allow the solar-powered boat to ‘charge up’ and run. In the absence of sunlight, a series of electrical ‘refill stations’ will be placed in strategic locations along the canals, allowing boat owners to re-energise their craft for a nominal value.

Electric boats were one of the most exciting and well-received innovations at the 2010 Genoa Boat Fair, and have caused a fair bit of hubbub in the four years since. The general consensus amongst the boating and tourism industries seems to be that this type of vessel will do away with such current necessities as vibration and engine noise, thus contributing to reduce the level of noise across the city’s waterways.

One of the main uses these boats will be put to once they are launched into the market is the carrying out of Venice airport transfers. Similar prototypes currently being tested in Brazil are serving that same function, and it is believed this industry will benefit most of all from the introduction of these electric and solar-powered vessels.

The main problem currently being faced by the companies in charge of this project is the insufficient number of electrical power stations available across the country. At the moment only 1400 electrical stations exist in Italy, and a much larger number would be needed for this project to fully take flight. Once that problem is worked around, however, the electrical boats will be ready to be introduced into Venice’s canals.

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