BMW reveals electric boat

HSV, GM, Aston Martin, Mercedes-AMG, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and even Ferrari have all played around with high-performance powerboats, but BMW has gone down the EV route for its new electric boat called The Icon.

Launched today at the Cannes Film Festival, the BMW The Icon electric boat is a 55km/h cruiser capable of carrying multiple guests in silence above the waves.

Conceived at BMW’s Designworks studio, The Icon was pieced together by boat-maker Tyde, and is powered by six BMW i3 battery packs.

BMW claims the Icon is a “flagbearer for sustainable mobility on the water” and points out that electric boats are usually smaller and slower, while the luxury end of the market remains powered by combustion engines.

Running hydrofoils and using two 100kW electric motors powering two propellers, BMW claims the 13.15-metre Icon will give 100km of boating range from its 240kWh of battery capacity.

Recharging will take... some time.

Designed to cruise at 45km/h on its underwater foils, The Icon is 4.5 metres wide at the rear, providing space for 360-degree swivelling seats and a 32-inch touch-screen running BMW’s OS8 operating system and iDrive, applying an automotive touch to the boating world.

BMW already has skin in the electron-fuelled boat game, providing its electric and hybrid car batteries to Torqueedo, a German company specialising in electric motors for marine use.

The 33kWh 'DeepBlue' battery packs used for Torqueedo’s larger boat motors are adapted from those developed for the BMW i3. Torqueedo’s BMW-sourced batteries are modular, meaning that to add more range, all a user has to do is add more battery packs.

Related: Five car brands that gave boats a go

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