This journey started 3 years ago, but I'm going to fast-forward to last Friday. I'm travelling on my own up the M6 motorway on the way to an Electric Boat Association rally in Windermere. I'm towing DB1, a prototype boat we've built. I catch myself smiling — a really big, cheesy grin. I'm happy, very happy.

I'm Tim Knox, the director of two small marine businesses — Mothership Marine, which builds electric boats, and Torkmar, which builds systems for them. I'm also Secretary of the Electric Boat Association, which runs a calendar of rallies for owners around the country.

The rally, on Windermere, doubles as a testing day for DB1. I launch her at Ferry Nab on the Friday night ahead of a Saturday start. DB1 is joined by two others for a run to the head of the lake and back, with lunch in between. Always lunch in between. The numbers DB1 returned were hard to ignore. By the time the three boats reach the top of the lake, DB1's batteries are nearly full, having run almost entirely on power from its solar roof. Cruising at around four miles an hour, DB1 uses roughly 350 watts to motor; the other two boats, which incidentally are smaller, use at least double the power.

Soon, I'll be setting off from Lechlade with my wife and inspiration behind this boat (she hates boats). I'm trying to build one she likes. We aim to travel the entire navigable length of the River Thames to Teddington without ever plugging in. It's a big test. DB1 is a lovely-looking boat, but she runs very much against current industry thinking. She also has a lowering solar hard canopy that pops up and down in seconds. My wife hates the faff at the start and the end of a boating day!

Most electric motors on the market try to emulate combustion motors. This is a mistake. My thinking is to start with the propeller. Props are not just about thrust — they are about lift too. A well-shaped propeller acts like a wing, pulling the boat forward as well as thrusting back. A larger prop flies better but also thrusts more gently and more efficiently.

Driving a large propeller well means you need torque. I think the industry has largely forgotten this and is fixated on how fast a motor can spin. DB1 pairs an oversized propeller with a high-torque motor that turns slowly, easing the boat forward with very little wasted energy.

Solar on a boat can look ugly. DB1 has 716 watts of capacity on the roof, built into the canopy so as not to announce itself. It's attractive and very functional.

The hull shape is disruptive too. At 19 feet 6 inches long and 7 feet 4 inches across the beam, DB1 is unusually wide for her length. But her width makes her comfortable for those on board, and stable. Cunningly, this size just fits into a 20' shipping container. Doubly cunning, we can fit two in one container and export all over the world for not much money.

Some people like mountains, some like nightclubs, I like water. It calms me, makes me happy. Boats with combustion motors going fast are fun — going fast takes your mind off the noise and the stink. These boats are about getting to the destination. DB1, the boat, is the destination. Being on the Thames is a tonic; it is the destination. That said, my wife of 39 years, with good reasoning, insists we stop at some nice hotels on the river, of which there are plenty.

I'm nervous. It's a new boat, and there are lock restrictions due to water shortages. Global warming? If it is, one thing is for sure: DB1 is not to blame!

There is a range indicator on the motor display; if we are getting more power in from the sun than the motor is using, the display shows an infinity symbol. If we get to Teddington with our batteries fully charged that's infinity and maybe beyond. Because, if all goes well, I am seriously tempted by the tidal Thames.

But not my wife!

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