Au feel de l'eau is celebrating its tenth year operating a unique electric water taxi service on the Ottawa River in Canada’s capital city.
The two 30-ft pontoon Aqua-Taxi boats provide a seasonal shuttle service, ferrying up to 12 passengers between downtown Ottawa and Gatineau with views of Parliament Hill and other landmarks. They also offer a longer guided water tour of The Path of Samuel de Champlain. The 12-passenger boats are handicap accessible and can accept wheelchairs, bicycles and strollers. Each boat is powered by twin Torqeedo Cruise 4.0 electric motors with eight Power 24-3500 lithium-ion batteries and eight 350-watt chargers. The boats normally cruise at 4.5 knots, which yields about 12 hours of run time at 1,000 watts. They plug into shore power for recharging at night.
“When we launched our first Aqua Taxi in 2010, we decided from the beginning that we wanted it to be 100 percent electric,” said Sylvie Lyonnais, co-owner and co-captain of the Aqua-Taxis. “For us, being environmentally friendly was a top priority. And being in Canada’s capital, we wanted to innovate and lead the green wave.” Based on the success and lessons learned from the first boat, Au feel de l'eau launched a second boat with the same Torqeedo electric propulsion package in 2015. “Our passengers love the unique experience of gliding silently across the water enjoying the spectacular views of the Ottawa cityscape with no engine noise or exhaust fumes,” Lyonnais added. “They’re often surprised and impressed by the small size of the electric motors.”
Au feel de l'eau consistently garners rave views on Facebook and Trip Advisor, winning kudos for the electric boat experience and especially for the open and friendly reception by the captains, who enjoy entertaining passengers with anecdotes and stories throughout the cruise. “It’s nice to be able to have a comfortable conversation with our passengers without shouting,” said Lyonnais.
In addition to being environmentally friendly, the electric boats eliminate fuel costs for the owners, who estimate they are saving more than eight gallons of gasoline per day for each boat. Following the example of the Au feel de l'eau enterprise, Ottawa Boat Cruises launched an all-electric 100-passenger tour boat for cruises on the Rideau Canal in 2016. Because the narrow canal does not provide turnaround room, the 74-ft vessel has a Torqeedo Deep Blue high-voltage 80-hp electric drive at each end.
More information:
Find high-resolution pictures at the: › Torqeedo Dropbox
Find the main catalogue 2021 here: › Catalogue 2021
Find the commercial catalogue 2021 here: › Commercial Catalogue 2021
Ottawa electric water taxi service celebrates tenth year
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