Jacobi's electric boat
Barco eléctrico de Jacobi
- Date
- 1838-1839 · confidence high
- Place
- Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Credited to
- Moritz Hermann von Jacobi
- Field
- Matter & energy
What it is
Jacobi propelled a passenger boat on the River Neva with an electric motor and Grove batteries, under the eye of the Academy of Sciences. It was the first electric boat, though the cost of the battery made it prohibitive.
Jacobi built his rotary motor in 1834; the Neva trial took place in September 1838.
What it led to
- electric launches and boats of the late 19th century
- electric submarines (Peral, Goubet)
- interest in electric traction and electrotyping (Jacobi invented the latter in 1838)