Swedish electric boat pioneer X Shore is launching its third model and its first dedicated to the maritime professional sector. The new PRO model is designed for organizations operating across an array of maritime professions including commercial traffic, shuttle services, diving, and coast guards, with one of the first sold for school transportation in the Swedish archipelago. It adds to the company’s B2B presence, primarily through boat club industry partnerships including the likes of Safe Harbor Marinas.

While the X Shore name was trademarked in 1996, it wasn’t until 2016 that work began on creating electric boats when the company was founded in Stockholm. The company built its first prototype in 2018 and is now well known for its flagship Eelex 8000 launched in 2020 and X Shore 1 launched in 2022. It is now guided on the three pillars of sustainability, technology, and design to allow passengers to explore oceans and lakes without the harmful noise and fumes a fossil-fuel engine emits.

The company’s leaders believe that the continued electrification of boating is crucial to support climate change mitigation and a decarbonized global economy and that a swift transition to sustainable boating is necessary for global emission reduction targets to be achievable. Its plan for long-term sustainability and a net-zero future is being pursued through new technology, innovative research, smart design, and sustainable materials.

 

Going where ICE vessels can’t

The PRO is designed to help corporate customers around the world deal with climate-minded policy restrictions on traditional ICE (internal combustion engine) vessels. The company cited a number of recent examples.

Several lakes in U.S. states such as Minnesota and Washington now prohibit combustion engines. In April, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the Fresh Coast Maritime Challenge, which provides commercial enterprises with a sustainable and cost-effective way to transition to electric-powered vessels.

Closer to home, Norway has adopted a resolution to halt emissions from cruise ships and ferries in the Norwegian World Heritage-recognized fjords no later than 2026. Amsterdam is enacting a ban on commercial boats with diesel engines operating on the city’s canals by 2025, and electric boats in Venice are exempt from a new law introduced to help restrict boat traffic and air pollution on its crowded canals.

The Parliament of the Balearics has proposed a ban on the rental of non-electric yachts in Mallorca and its surrounding islands by 2030. ICE vessels have been banned from many lakes in Austria and certain lakes in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Denmark—and several fisheries in the UK.

According to X Shore, emissions from high-performance fossil-fuelled boats are substantial. It says that, from just 50 h on the water, typical 6-10 m ICE boats can produce emissions comparable to more than 7 roundtrips between New York and central Europe by plane. In addition, the company points out that noise pollution from traditional boating is having a negative effect on the planet. The International Maritime Organization has found that noise pollution from boats negatively impacts marine life in both the short and long terms.

“The boating and shipping industries must be decarbonized, and central to this mission is bringing to market viable and scalable alternatives to fossil fuel-powered vessels,” said X Shore CEO Jenny Keisu. “The X Shore PRO is the natural evolution of our offering; our flagship Eelex showed that electric vessels can be beautiful and high performance, and the X Shore 1 makes electric boating available at a lower price point.

 

PRO on 8-m platform

With the PRO model, X Shore wants to show that its electric boats can deliver change at scale and reach the lives of more people.

“We must not expect regular citizens to single-handedly drive the major net-zero transition we need to mitigate climate change,” said Keisu. “This change must be driven by powerful figures such as companies, cities, and politicians. In launching the PRO, X Shore is providing a valuable tool to reach sustainability targets.”

The PRO is built on the X Shore 8-m platform, which has been in service globally for over 3 years with the Eelex 8000, with its latest smart technology, sustainable methods, and clean Scandinavian design. Range and speed are estimated to be similar to the Eelex 8000, but there will be differences based on the use case of the PRO and unique customization for each boat.

Compared to Eelex, the PRO series has more technical options based on client needs, which can include autopilot, a heated windshield, a single joystick for double thruster control (meaning rotating the joystick will operate the boat in opposite directions to rotate the boat on its axis), a lock-and-hold function to make the boat still in the water for single hand docking, and cabin climate control.

Two basic configurations—Open and Cabin—will be built to order according to customer requirements. Some preliminary specs were shared for Cabin and Open PRO models. They share an 8-m (26.2-ft) length, 2.6-m (8.5-ft) beam, and 0.85-m (2.7-ft) depth—and a 170-kW electrical motor. The Cabin/Open vary in height at 2.9/2.8 m (9.5/9.2 ft), weight at 3.5/2.6 ton, and battery capacity at 189/126 kW·h.

The PRO will be developed and manufactured at X Shore Industries 1 in Nyköping, Sweden.

 

Strengthened Bosch partnership to boost X Shore 1

At the lower end of its range, X Shore announced in June a strengthened collaboration with Bosch Engineering, a subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, to enhance the performance and efficiency of the X Shore 1 electric drive system. The X Shore 1 already features Bosch’s largest motor for leisure boat applications, along with its inverter and a gearbox developed by Bosch Rexroth.

“We are excited to support Bosch Engineering in strengthening their sustainability mission, and together, we will introduce a cutting-edge electric drive system technology to the new X Shore 1, providing an unparalleled boating experience,” said Keisu.

This deeper collaboration is said to mark a significant shift in Bosch’s electrification journey into the leisure boat segment. X Shore, as a sustainability pioneer in the boating industry, was carefully selected as part of this pilot project.

“By partnering with X Shore, we have found a passionate partner that shares our environmental commitment,” said Dr. Johannes-Jörg Rüger, CEO at Bosch Engineering GmbH. His company hopes to contribute to “accelerating X Shore’s sustainable serial production approach by sharing our experience in series production and providing automotive-proven high-performance components.”

The collaboration aims to enhance the 1’s electric drive system by improving power through lightweight design, increasing efficiency through optimized design and software, facilitating easy integration into existing systems with space-saving design, and reducing maintenance efforts to save time and costs.