Vlog 293: Amped Up
An all-electric narrowboat is now available for hire by the day so it’s a low-cost way to test the waters of near-silent narrowboating and leave no air pollution in your wake.
Prior electric narrowboat videos are:
Electric – hybrid – diesel trials day
Holiday hire boats
Community trip boat
Hybrid narrowboat
A few years ago I suggested you do a vlog about a hotel boat, its operators and guests. I just signed up for a cruise on Takara, a single narrow boat, 3-9 June 2026. It will cruise from Llangollen, down the Montgomery as far as possible, then return to Llangollen. The boat has room for 3 or 4 guests plus crew. Why don’t you contact the owners and see if they would allow you onboard to film a bit at the beginning or end of the cruise. Should be a great trip.
Unfortunately, I don’t at this point know whether I would be free to do such filming next year, it will have to be seen at the time. I hope you have a marvellous trip!
Not so much “Cruising the Cut” but a day trip there and back to the umbilical charge point. C&RT will never get a network of charge points installed sufficient to cruise the cut on electric boats. Thanks for the video though David, enjoyed it as always, keep ’em coming!.
Hello David.
I tend to agree with Reg Caulden. I believe that unless the cost of owning any electrical powered vehicle is drastically reduced the majority of boat/car owners will not be able to afford them so they’ll be for the ‘better off’ only.
And the power stations still have to provide the power to charge these batteries up, so what will they use? Nuclear, oil or even coal?
Sorry young man I’m really not convinced. Yes, we need to get rid of diesel but the jury is still out in my opinion.
As usual take care.
future.
So called progress, is not always a good thing Dave. Battery production produces more destruction (atmospheric through transportation of lithium, cobalt, other minerals and land destruction from mining) than oil ever does .
On paper electric is good. Reality will prove anything but that.
Reg
That’s only at present; battery technology is in its infancy. Huge development efforts around the world will inevitably come up with better and less harmful alternatives. There’s a finite limit to how much oil we can extract so we have to think different.