Podcast Ep. 10 - Batteries replace humans: is this still the America's Cup?
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The America's Cup sprint is officially on. Team New Zealand have rolled their AC75 out of the shed in Auckland, and for the first time in the Cup's 175-year history, there won't be a single human powering the sails.
In this week's episode, Andy Rice, Freddie Carr and Neil Cole unpack what the shift from cyclors to batteries actually means for how these boats will be sailed. With a one-design 125kg battery pack replacing the engine room grunt of four elite athletes, the teams face an entirely new challenge: managing finite power across pre-start battles, acceleration off the line, and the constant demands of a foiling upwind-downwind course. And unlike athletes with tired legs, a battery doesn't get a second wind.
Freddie draws on his experience as a cyclor on Ineos Britannia to explain how the crew's jobs will be redistributed across the remaining five positions – and why Team New Zealand's software and hydraulic efficiency under the hood might be worth more than any individual signing this cycle. Meanwhile, the AC40's unlimited power has created habits that teams will need to unlearn fast.
With just 45 sailing days on the AC75 permitted before mid-January 2027, every hour on the water counts. ETNZ are first to splash, but with the design rulebook still wide open, there's nothing stopping their rivals from watching, learning, and designing around whatever the Kiwis discover. The conversation also touches on Paul Cayard's 45-years-in-the-making Bacardi Cup triumph and 18-foot skiff racing on Sydney Harbour.
00:01:19 - What is new for America's Cup 2027?
00:03:49 - The end of human power and cyclors
00:13:41 - Team New Zealand's focus for the AC75
00:29:00 - Main differences between AC40 and AC75
00:36:39 - Challenger updates for Britannia and France
00:43:35 - American Magic shifts focus to SailGP
00:52:23 - The youth pathway into the America's Cup
00:54:24 - Paul Cayard wins the Bacardi Cup
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