CEO and founder of the Blue Innovations Group, John Vo's goal is to create a reference company in electric boats. The engineer, who spent six and a half years at Tesla as a production manager, explains his objectives and his analysis of the obstacles to be overcome for this new motorization in yachting.
Can you tell us about the Blue Innovations Group in a few words and why it was created?
I left Vietnam to escape from communism when I was 15-16 years old and it was the first time I got on a boat. For me, the boat is very important, it is synonymous with freedom. I have experienced the American dream, more in the sense of luck than becoming rich. Now I want to give that chance back. There are 71% of the world's oceans and if all goes well, there will be more and more of us. So there is a need for a sustainable solution to get around by boat. So this is a way to give back what I have received.
Blue" from Blue Innovations Group is for sustainability. We usually talk about green, but in reality, when you see the earth, it's blue. You have to be in alignment with it. I prefer innovation to technology. Because innovation is always useful, it solves a problem, whereas technology is not always useful, it doesn't always work either. Finally, we chose Group because the ambition is great. And the acronym BIG is easy to remember!
What is your vision of the evolution of electric boats?
15 years ago when I joined Tesla, people laughed at me. Now all the big car companies are going electric. What was different about Tesla? For Tesla, electric was the heart of the company and for the others, a sideline. Today, it's the same for the boat. The others don't have this approach because they have a business to protect, which is not the case for us. We don't want people to buy our boat because it's electric, but because it's the best for their use. We start with a blank sheet of paper. There are many technologies that are not used in boating. We have a 15-year plan, starting with the Revolution stage at 5 years, for 25 to 35-foot dayboats, then Freedom, at 10 years, for weekly sailing, including automated sailing, and Liberty at 15 years, modular floating homes.
It's just engineering, not aerospace science. It's just applying existing science.
What is the brake on existing electric boats?
Electric boat builders are not taking the issue in the right direction. We need a global design, not just assembling other people's motors on a boat. That's why we start from scratch with our own technology and uncompromising solutions. We want to make a Tesla Model S, not a Nissan Leaf.
When do you think the electric boat will be mature?
It took 10 years for the automobile. I would say the same for the boat. There is an economic interest that will attract people, but the conservatism of the sector slows things down a bit
