BMW has recently launched The Icon, a futuristic 13-metre boat – ready for production – equipped with foils and with two motors, designed to extend the batteries’ duration while using less energy with the same speed. The boat exploits a pair of electric 100-kW motors by using the 240 kWh of energy provided by the six batteries of BMW i3. The autonomy reaches over 50 nautical miles, corresponding to about 92 km. The cruise speed on foils is reported at around 24 knots, while the maximum one is estimated in about 30 knots.
Worth highlighting the Electric range (WLTP) of 488–560 in km and the power consumption corresponding to 23.3–20.8 kWh/100 km (combined).
Peter Dengler, head of The Icon project said: «Mobility on water is nearly ten times more energy-intensive than mobility on land. In the meantime, however, professional sailing has come up with solutions for substantially saving energy, paving the way for climate-friendly solutions. The decarbonization of mobility is already taking place in some areas. In other areas, however, there has not yet been innovation, so decarbonization has not even begun. There is currently no equivalent of luxury electric vehicles like the BMW i7 M70 offered on the water».
