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Boards and scooters from Go!Mate
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Drive, enthusiasm and innovative ideas for the future at the world's largest boat show.
Last year, in 2024, the go:LEIF team visited the huge Düsseldorf Boat Show, the world's largest indoor boat show, to scout the state of electric boats, scan the interest and meet the electric boat manufacturers.
This year we were back to check out what's happened since last time.
Nordic boat manufacturers are showing off their skills
From Nordic manufacturers we find many exciting electric boats. XShore and Candela are established players with boats we already know, but Elvene from Finland and Roxen Innovations with an electric jet ski were new to us, as was the electric Hwila 25. Axopar from Finland with a drivetrain from Norwegian Evoy provided another example of fine Nordic products.
DYKLEIF from Hamburgsund on the west coast is investing in electric boats in its diving operations from spring 2025. XShore, Candela, Hwila25, Elvene and Roxen.
Electrification for propulsion gaining momentum
It is clear that electrification is gaining ground in both boating and water sports. We are seeing more and more products from different manufacturers at the show. Electric surfboards such as Jetboards and e-Foils, but also underwater scooters (DPV) are new products spun out of the possibilities of electrification. Products that also need to be charged and in many cases can mean additional electricity needs in our ports.
Many electric powertrains
In the field of electric powertrains for boats, the number of offers is growing. This applies both to the outboard segment and to installation solutions such as electric sailboat drives, pods and motors for propeller shafts. In the outboard or 'outboard motor' segment, there are many manufacturers. Most common are small engines but the full range is available. By and large, all established manufacturers have some electrified option, but we also see products from manufacturers we have not seen before.
Installation solutions are most often sold B2B, although there are also solutions sold directly to consumers.
We spoke to several manufacturers and suppliers who told us about exciting projects in both new builds and conversions they have done, for leisure and professional boats.
Vehicle operators move to boats
Electric boats have a lot in common with electric cars when it comes to powertrain components. At the show, Frauscher, in collaboration with Porsche, showed the FXP 850 FANTOM AIR with an all-electric powertrain taken from the Porsche Macan. We already know that Candela's boats share technology with Polestar's electric cars and at the fair we also saw the Audi logo on watercraft. It makes sense that boat manufacturers can benefit from cost economies of scale for the powertrain, but maybe it's also the case that car manufacturers are a bit interested in new business areas?
More manufacturers are developing hybrid options
More and more boat manufacturers are seeing the potential of hybrid solutions. By combining electric drive with traditional internal combustion engines, boats can both reduce their emissions and give boaters longer range. Hybrid solutions also make it possible to use electric power at lower speeds and internal combustion engines at higher speeds and longer distances, providing a better balance between performance and sustainability.
Slovenian boat manufacturer Greenline, with dealers on the Swedish west coast, is a pioneer of electric and hybrid boats. Now, the company is focusing on hybrid models and displayed several hybrid-powered boats at the show.
Greenline equips its boats with many solar panels. With a solar power of more than 2000W, the panels provide increased range on sunny days, lower charging needs at the dock and good own electricity supply on days in the natural harbors of the archipelago.
Greenline is happy to profile itself within the concept of "Resonsible yachting" as the hybrid operation reduces emissions while also trying to improve material management with discarded materials being reused for other
Integrated solar cells are coming big
An exciting development is the use of integrated solar cells. By installing solar panels on the deck or roof of the boat, the energy from the sun can be used to charge the batteries and reduce the need for external charging. Manufacturers are experimenting with increasingly efficient and aesthetically pleasing solutions. With solar cells, on sunny days and at lower speeds, some boats can actually run entirely on the electricity from the solar panels. Interesting examples of solar-powered boats are Spanish LASAI Boats and Finnish ELVENE.
Emil Finne from ELVENE talked about his boat models.
Blue innovation dock
The stage for sustainable boating organized by EBI - European Boating Industries has an intense program during the fair every day and with many exciting features. We from go:LEIF participated again this year. We presented what we have done and what we plan to do within our project. We also participated in a panel on innovation in boating through new technology and AI. Several of the sessions were recorded, including ours. You can watch them on the link here
What will we take away from Boot Dusseldorf 2025?
- The range of electric boats and craft continues to grow and the Nordic players are well represented.
- More powertrain manufacturers are developing electric drive options in their range.
- Vehicle side looks at boating
- Interest in hybrid powertrains continues to grow.
- Integrated solar cells are coming up big among many manufacturers.
