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Home / News / Cigarette Racing and AMG build world’s fastest electric boat

Cigarette Racing and AMG build world’s fastest electric boat

Electricity and water sounds like a recipe for disaster – but the Cigarette AMG Electric Drive powerboat is anything but a shipwreck

Toaster in the bath, radio in the shower – we’re taught early on that water and electricity don’t mix. But it looks like Florida powerboat maker Cigarette Racing didn’t get the memo.

Inspired by the Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive supercar – and we’re not just referring to the outlandish but strangely likable yellow paint job – the Cigarette AMG Electric Drive is an absolute animal of a boat. And it should be, when Mercedes AMG’s legendary tuning company has played a part in its conception.

Rather than a conventional fossil fuel engine, it uses an absolutely huge electric motor. In fact, twelve electric motors – to be precise – create a whopping 2220bhp and 2212lb/ft (3300Nm) of torque. That’s three times the torque of its road-going electric brethren, producing a whopping 100mph top speed.

To keep all those thirsty motors going, four batteries comprising 48 modules and 3,456 cells generate a capacity of 240kw/h and maximum voltage of 400 volts, which are ‘refuelled’ by two 22-Kilowatt on-board chargers (of four, if you specify). Amazingly, the boat can be recharged in just seven hours, giving you a relatively short gap between tearing up the waves.

Sadly, without knowing the range between charges, it’s difficult to say how far you’ll be able to go at that speed. Never mind, though – between the AMG Electricbeam Mango paintjob, carbon fibre applied liberally around the cockpit and the display from the road-going SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive, you’ll soon forget the roar of a conventional engine.

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About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home