Introduction
The E1 Racing Series is the world’s first all-electric powerboat championship, launched in 2024. It features high-speed, hydrofoiling electric boats called RaceBirds, racing across city waterfronts around the world. The series aims to promote sustainability and innovation in marine motorsport.
Seabird Technologies is the company that designs and manufactures the RaceBird boats used in the E1 Series. They are a pioneering marine technology startup, responsible for developing the all-electric foiling boats and advancing sustainable solutions for the wider maritime sector.
CHALLENGE
Operating high-performance electric boats in aquatic environments introduces unique safety risks, such as electrical faults, overheating, and water ingress. To protect pilots and maintain compliance with strict safety standards, Seabird needed a robust, real-time telemetry solution for monitoring critical systems during races.
SOLUTION
Seabird’s race monitoring solution integrates the VCU500 with Control Limited’s TLM-Px 4G telemetry modem, ADS, and ATLAS for comprehensive safety and performance analysis. During races, live data from the RaceBird’s ECU is transmitted via Control Limited’s cloud telemetry platform. The TLM-Px Multi Source Recorder in ADS listens to this data stream and ingests it into the ATLAS ecosystem. This setup enables any authorised user to tap into the data stream and access real-time telemetry for monitoring within ATLAS and offload for post-race debrief.
USAGE
Once data is within the ATLAS ecosystem, a member of the Seabird team monitors critical safety information from the RaceBird in real time. The ATLAS client connects to the ADS (ATLAS Data Server) using a Data Server Telemetry Recorder. Each ADS instance is linked to a specific RaceBird, so users can select which RaceBird’s telemetry to monitor by switching between ADS connections. This setup allows for flexible, real-time access to live data streams, supporting safety monitoring during the race.
This is especially important because the RaceBird is an all-electric boat operating in a challenging aquatic environment, where electrical systems and water present unique safety risks. Continuous, real-time monitoring ensures that any potential issues are detected immediately, allowing the team to take swift action to protect the pilot. To support this, alarms and visual indicators within ATLAS provide instant notifications when critical thresholds are breached. Visual warnings, such as color-coded alerts, enable engineers to quickly identify and respond to problematic states, while audible alarms ensure urgent issues are not missed. Having live data, combined with these proactive alert mechanisms, is essential for risk management, enabling the team to respond instantly to any abnormal readings and ensure the highest level of safety for both the driver and the vessel throughout the race.
During the race, race engineers at each team continuously monitor the RaceBird’s live telemetry, analysing key metrics and communicating directly with the pilot. They provide real-time feedback on where time is being lost relative to competitors and advise on optimal strategies, such as when to choose the short or long route options, to maximise race performance. In addition to the standard telemetry, engineers have the capability to define virtual parameters, allowing them to create custom metrics and insights that go beyond the data natively collected by the boat’s systems. This empowers teams to tailor their analysis to specific race scenarios and performance goals. After the event, Seabird’s team offloads comprehensive data from the boat’s ECU, enabling in-depth analysis to further refine tactics and improve future results.
ATLAS has enabled Seabird Technologies to achieve real-time safety monitoring and performance analysis for the E1 Series, ensuring pilots are safe. By integrating with Control Limited telemetry, alerts, and flexible data access, ATLAS provides a robust solution that supports both risk management and competitive optimisation at every race.