An unprecedented strategic alliance to accelerate the electrification of sailing and advance low-emission solutions.
Groupe Beneteau and Fountaine Pajot Group are announcing the creation of E-LEKTRA MARINE, a 50/50 joint venture dedicated to electric propulsion and intelligent onboard energy management. By bringing together, for the first time, seven major brands that remain commercially independent, the two French groups are combining the scale and capabilities needed to create a global standard for the electrification and energy management of sailboats, open to all players in the boating industry.
Sailing is a unique case in the energy transition: it combines the challenges of the automotive industry — silent propulsion with lower emissions — and those of housing — autonomous energy management, far from any grid. While an electric car can be recharged at any time from a power outlet, a sailboat must be able to produce, store and distribute its own energy at sea. Solar power, batteries, generator, propulsion, onboard comfort: all energy flows must be orchestrated in real time. It is precisely to meet these two challenges simultaneously that E-LEKTRA MARINE was created.
The main challenge is overall management of energy autonomy
The challenge is not limited to propulsion alone: E-LEKTRA MARINE also addresses the sailboat’s overall usage. Onboard energy management is just as important, because it determines autonomy, comfort, reliability and, depending on the use case, the ability to operate with lower emissions. After pooling their life cycle assessment methodologies for their boats, the two leaders are taking a further step by forging a shared decarbonisation roadmap. In this context, they are relying on technologies that have now been proven: Groupe Beneteau has already been offering low-voltage electric solutions on its sailboats up to 12 metres for several years, while Fountaine Pajot deploys high-voltage hybrid solutions on its catamarans over 15 metres. Now mature, these technologies are ready to scale up. Rather than each developing their own technological base, the two groups have chosen to co-build a shared platform, open to the entire boating industry.
Its mission: to design and deploy an onboard system that is competitive with internal-combustion solutions and capable of orchestrating all onboard energy flows in real time. In concrete terms, the role of E-LEKTRA MARINE’s experts in naval electrical system architecture is to define, specify and validate standardised electric propulsion and energy management solutions, adapted to different sailboat sizes and uses. E-LEKTRA MARINE will rely on a group of strategic partners including Alternatives Energies (based in La Rochelle), specialised in electric systems integration, Cirtem (Toulouse), an expert in energy conversion and management, and EVE System (Lyon), a specialist in battery pack design, as well as on the expertise of both groups.
The challenge for E-LEKTRA MARINE is not only technological: it is also economic. By bringing together the production volumes of seven brands (60% market share), as well as those of other major players in the sector, the platform aims to reach the industrial thresholds required to make these solutions simpler and more competitive.
More accessible low-emission solutions
In concrete terms, the systems offered by E-LEKTRA MARINE will provide:
- Electrification solutions adapted to all sailboat sizes from 9 to 24 metres, from full electric to low-voltage and high-voltage hybrid solutions.
- Optimised onboard energy management between solar power, engine, generator, comfort equipment and shore power connection.
- Real-time monitoring of consumption through an easy-to-use display.
- A standardised system supported by a global network of approved and trained service partners.
- Continuous improvements to the solutions offered to boaters, making them ever more competitive and efficient.
- A refit solution enabling current owners to switch to electric.
“ With E-LEKTRA MARINE, two major players in the sailing industry are joining forces in an unprecedented alliance to accelerate the electrification of sailing. By combining our industrial expertise, we aim to establish open standards and make low-emission solutions simpler, more accessible and scalable ” noted Bruno Thivoyon, Chairman of the Management Board, Groupe Beneteau.
“ After several years of deployment, Alternatives Energies has demonstrated that scalable solutions do exist. The E-LEKTRA MARINE joint venture with Groupe Beneteau shows that our industry can mobilise around shared environmental objectives. Today, electrification is becoming essential; it must now be made accessible across the entire sailing market” underlined Mathieu Fountaine, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Fountaine Pajot.
