This is a new, all-electric, solar-charged PWC from startup company ASAP that promises to be a low-cost, emissions-free alternative to Jet Skis. It’s clean, cheap, fast, and it might even save your life one day, if British designer Ross Kemp has his way. Kemp is hoping to get these ASAP solar Jet Skis into the hands of lifeguards everywhere.
ASAP actually does a pretty good job of telling their solar Jet Ski’s story, so I’ll present it here, in their words …
1. Ross realized how incredibly difficult it is for lifeguards to rescue people in water. There must be a better solution to taking the fuel thirsty jet ski out …2. Perhaps something with all the benefits of a paddleboard as a one person launch electicpowered craft? “If only”, Ross and the many lifeguards we spoke to said …3. Several months later, many nights sanding in a tent the first prototype was made (Sorry to the neighbours for using powertools through the night) …4. This caught the eye of one of the founders of Innocent Smoothies, Richard Reed. As part of a BBC 3 TV show Ross began making the next prototype. Luckily this time he didn’t have to make it in a tent and friends helped out, so this one was even better …5. Richard Reed kindly introduced Ross to Richard Branson, who offered to help. He offered to fly the prototype craft out to Bondi Beach in Australia (Virgin Atlantic of course) – to test with the best lifeguards in the word. What an incredible offer!
… the ASAP’s reportedly has a V-shaped, low-drag hull that cuts through choppy waters with ease, smoothly transporting rescued swimmers with minimal drag to make the most of its batteries’ power reserves. Once the design is proven and selling, Kemp hopes to introduce the ASAP to the “civilian” market as a low-cost, tree-hugging alternative to gas-guzzling 2-stroke PWCs. While that commercial ASAP probably won’t match the 2-strokers for power and speed,it’ll probably be quicker than that water kart thing in France by a long mile!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment