Fountaine Pajot Group and Groupe Beneteau announce a joint initiative

Mathieu Fountaine, Deputy CEO of Fountaine Pajot, and Bruno Thivoyon, CEO of Groupe Beneteau © Fountaine Pajot Group and Groupe Beneteau

Today, more than 99% of sailboats are equipped with a diesel engine. Contrary to popular belief, even a sailboat needs an internal combustion engine, whether for harbour manoeuvres, when there is no wind, or to cover part of the onboard energy needs.

To change this, Groupe Beneteau and Fountaine Pajot Group are creating E-LEKTRA MARINE, an unprecedented alliance bringing together seven major sailing brands — BENETEAU, JEANNEAU, LAGOON, EXCESS, Fountaine Pajot Sailing Catamarans, Fountaine Pajot Yachts and Dufour — with the aim of creating a shared standard for electric propulsion and onboard energy autonomy, with a clear ambition: to accelerate the electrification of sailing and support the transition to low-emission solutions, while helping bring electric solutions to 10% to 15% of the global sailing market to electric by 2030.

E-LEKTRA MARINE: two groups, seven brands, one shared goal; structuring a global standard for the electrification of sailing

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.

In sailing, the main challenge is not propulsion alone, but the overall management of energy autonomy on board

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 further steps by forging a shared decarbonization 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 meters for several years, while Fountaine Pajot deploys high-voltage hybrid solutions on its catamarans over 15 meters. 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 standardized 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), specializing 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.

A model open to all market players to reach critical mass and make these solutions simple and competitive

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.

An offer designed to deliver simpler, more accessible low-emission solutions for sailing

In concrete terms, the systems offered by E-LEKTRA MARINE will provide:

• Electrification solutions adapted to all sailboat sizes from 9 to 24 meters, from full electric to low-voltage and high-voltage hybrid solutions.
• Optimized 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 standardized 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.

The two French groups are aiming for a market scale-up by 2030

Groupe Beneteau began its electrification journey more than 20 years ago, notably with the first Lagoon 421 models, before continuing in recent years with fully electric solutions on its BENETEAU Oceanis monohull sailboats from 30 to 40 feet, on its inland waterway boating offer with the DELPHIA brand, and expanding it with hybrid solutions on several models, including the Excess 11 and the JEANNEAU Sealoft 480.

Fountaine Pajot Group, for its part, positioned itself in the cruising catamaran electrification market with the Aura 51 and the Samana 59, its first proven sailing concrete and proven sailing references. Building on these technical validations, the Group is now taking a further step by rolling out electric solutions across all Fountaine Pajot Sailing Catamarans, Fountaine Pajot Yachts and Dufour monohull sailing brands.

By pooling the volumes of 7 brands, representing 60% of the global market, E-LEKTRA MARINE aims to structure an open global standard at the scale of the sailing market, with a shared objective: to electrify 10% to 15% of the global sailing market by 2030, representing several hundred boats per year.

“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.” - Bruno Thivoyon, Chief Executive Officer, 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 mobilize around shared environmental objectives. Today, electrification is becoming essential; it must now be made accessible across the entire sailing market.” - Mathieu Fountaine, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Fountaine Pajot