Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change

Who Will Be the Tesla of the Waves? Ep183: Ben Sorkin

Oct 30, 2024

Ben Sorkin, CEO and co-founder of Flux Marine, is revolutionizing the boating industry with customizable electric propulsion systems. He discusses the environmental challenges of fossil-fuel engines and how electric alternatives can reduce pollution and noise. Sorkin shares insights on the financial benefits of electric boats, addressing concerns like range anxiety and total ownership costs. The conversation also covers the innovative advancements in battery technology and manufacturing strategies, aiming to transform marine transport into a sustainable future.

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Intro

00:00 • 4min

Electrifying the Future of Boating

03:32 • 26min

Financial Insights into Electric Boating

29:31 • 4min

Electrifying the Marine Market

33:12 • 11min

Scaling Efficiently: Manufacturing Plans for Electric Motors

43:43 • 2min

Electrifying the Waves: The Future of Marine Transport

45:22 • 4min

Innovative Reflections on Electric Boating and Future Endeavors

49:16 • 2min

How difficult is it to power a boat just with electricity? Is an electric outboard as reliable as a fossil-fuel one when taken out to sea? And just how much better is an electric engine for reducing pollution and noise?

Around the world there are tens of millions of small boats, from high-performance luxury craft to workhorse fishing vessels, nearly all of which run on fossil-fuel powered engines. But with the rapid advancements in electric vehicles, a small group of companies are now turning their minds to cracking the boating problem, inventing electric engines that are quieter, less polluting, and can deliver just the same performance.

In Europe, perhaps the best known is the German company Torqeedo. Founded in 2004, they've sold a quarter of a million electric motors to date, and this year, were acquired by Yamaha Motors. Norwegian company Evoy have recently joined forces with Vita, a UK-Monaco based company, and Candela, another Scandinavian boat builder, are revolutionising engines and boats with their hydrofoiling concept.

This week on Cleaning Up, Baroness Bryony Worthington speaks with Ben Sorkin, CEO and co-founder of Flux Marine, headquartered in Newport, Rhode Island. Flux Marine are hoping to take on the US market with their customizable electric propulsion systems and have a 40,000 square foot factory in Rhode Island. Bryony asks Ben how his electric engines compete on cost and performance, what Flux Marine’s scale-up plans are, and why it’s so much harder to electrify a boat than a car.

Leadership Circle

Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live

Links

Flux Marine: https://www.fluxmarine.com
Is Shipping the Easiest "Hard-to-Abate" Sector? — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umPAonV20cM
Arc Boats: https://arcboats.com
Candela Hydrofoiling Boats: https://candela.com