Is this still the America’s Cup?

For the first time in the America’s Cup’s 175-year history, the boats will not have any crew powering onboard trim adjustments. With racing to be in 2027, the new rules for the AC75 yacht now have batteries doing the work.

With a one-design 125kg battery pack replacing the grunt of four elite athletes, the teams face an entirely new challenge, which is to manage the finite battery power to get around the course. Unlike athletes with tired legs, a battery doesn’t get a second wind.

In The Foil podcast, Andy Rice, Freddie Carr and Neil Cole unpack what the shift from cyclors to batteries actually means for how these boats will be sailed.