Swedish electric boat manufacturer X Shore has launched its latest model X Shore 1, which was designed to be lighter and less expensive that its predecessors in a bid to bring electric boating to a larger audience.
Unlike the company's first model Eelex, X Shore 1 retails at a price that makes it competitive with fossil-fuel boats, according to X Shore.
"By launching the X Shore 1, X Shore is hoping to encourage a new generation of boat owners and show them that electric boating is not just the future but the present," said the company's CEO Jenny Keisu.
The vessel will retail starting at €99,000, which X Shore says is around a third of the price of other high-performance electric boat models.
This cost reduction was achieved by making the 6.5-metre-long boat lighter and more efficient than X Shore's previous vessels, to the point that it needs only a single battery. This also reduces the boat's carbon footprint, the company says.
"The X Shore 1 is both light and more efficient through the water than most other electric boats," X Shore's chief designer William Blomstrand told Dezeen. "It's a combination of making a smart design and the right material choices."
The company produces the vessel in-house at its factory in Nyköping, Sweden, using a mix of carbon fibre and fibreglass that are pre-impregnated with epoxy.
This method makes the hulls lighter and stiffer than comparable products, Blomstrand says, while using less plastic and no polystyrene foam.
"From a design philosophy and ethical point of view, we try to push not 'less is more' but rather 'less is better'," he said. "Less material ultimately means less impact on our planet. But less also means lighter, which improves performance. Less also often means more affordable."
X Shore 1 was designed for leisure use and features an open transom with a swim platform and a full-width sunbed at its rear. The sunbed can also be converted into a sofa with a backrest that supports the sitters either facing forwards or backwards.
The front deck — made of cork rather than traditional teak — can also be used for sunbathing while a cuddy cabin underneath has space for storage.
There are two configuration options for the boat: one with a cantilevered roof and retractable sun awnings for weather protection, and one that is fully open.
Blomstrand says that X Shore's Scandinavian heritage is visible in the boat's nature-inspired colour palette, as well as its minimalist hull shape and "timeless appearance".
X Shore 1 has a range of 50 nautical miles at lower speeds, with a top speed of 30 knots and a cruising speed of 20 knots.
The company says the electrification of boating is vital because the activity currently consumes substantial amounts of fossil fuels. It estimates that just 50 hours on a six- to 10-metre long boat boat can produce comparable emissions to seven roundtrips between New York and central Europe by plane.
Another company in the consumer market for electric boats is Netherlands-based Edorado Marine, which focuses on high-speed craft.