From the floor of the Miami International Boat Show, we sit down with Flux Marine CEO Ben Sorkin to unpack how electric outboards are moving from hype to daily use—without asking boat builders to reinvent their world. Ben shares his journey from Lake George tinkerer to Princeton-trained engineer, and how that path led to a purpose-built electric propulsion system that slots into boats people already love.
We get hands-on with the 115- horsepower Flux Marine outboard on a Scout 215 XSF, where instant acceleration, quiet cruising, and zero fumes redefine what a demo ride can be. The surprise isn’t just the performance; it’s the simplicity. Most marinas already have shore power, so charging works within today’s ecosystem. And thanks to cloud-connected telematics, the data paints a clear picture: typical trips use less than 10% of the battery. That reality calms range anxiety and opens the door to smarter batteries, better trip planning, and more time on the water.
Ben walks us through a closed-loop cooling design that eliminates winterization, a modular service approach that enables 90-minute powerhead swaps, and an AI-driven maintenance engine trained on thousands of data points per second. Fleets like Freedom Boat Club and Princeton’s rowing program are already tapping into live dashboards to see where boats are, how they’re used, and when to intervene before issues surface. We also dig into the business side: why Flux builds its own lower units, motors, and inverters; how a dealer-first strategy honors the hands-on nature of boating; and what scaling looks like as they expand power levels and ship beyond North America.
If you’re curious about electric boats, marine electrification, charging at marinas, or what real-world data says about range, this conversation delivers a clear, practical view of what’s here now—and what’s next. Subscribe, share with a boating friend, and leave a review telling us the one question you still have about going electric.
Wards Marine Electric
https://www.wardsmarine.com/
Wards Way YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@WardsWay75