Groupe Beneteau and Fountaine Pajot Group have established E-Lektra Marine, a 50-50 joint venture combining seven sailing yacht brands to develop a unified electrical propulsion and energy management platform. The partnership addresses technical fragmentation in marine electrification by pooling development resources across brands representing approximately 60% of the global sailing market
The joint venture develops integrated energy systems covering propulsion, generation, storage, and distribution rather than focusing solely on electric motors. The architecture incorporates solar panels, battery banks, generators, and shore power connections with real-time energy management systems designed to optimize consumption, onboard comfort, and operational autonomy. Technical partners include Alternatives Energies for system integration, Cirtem for power conversion, and EVE System for battery design.
Dual Development Paths
E-Lektra Marine consolidates complementary technical expertise from both groups: Beneteau has developed low-voltage electric systems for vessels up to 12 meters, while Fountaine Pajot has implemented high-voltage hybrid systems on catamarans exceeding 15 meters. The standardized platform will offer three configurations: fully electric, low-voltage hybrid, and high-voltage systems, covering vessels from 9 to 24 meters. The modular approach includes retrofit solutions for existing hulls.
Market Position and Scale Economics
Over 99% of sailing yachts currently rely on combustion engines for auxiliary propulsion and onboard power generation . The joint venture’s market position targets cost reduction through component standardization and manufacturing scale across the seven participating brands: Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, Excess, Fountaine Pajot Sailing Catamarans, Fountaine Pajot Yachts, and Dufour. E-Lektra Marine projects electrification of 10-15% of the global sailing market by 2030, representing several hundred units annually.
Both groups have invested in marine electrification for over two decades: Beneteau has deployed electric variants on Lagoon catamarans, Oceanis monohulls, Delphia inland vessels, and hybrid systems on Excess 11 and Jeanneau Sealoft 480 models, while Fountaine Pajot has introduced electrified propulsion on Aura 51 and Samana 59 models with progressive expansion across their range.
