Monaco electric boat earns prestigious environment solution label
Congratulations to Monaco electric boat company Lanéva for earning the ‘Efficient Solutions’ label of the Solar Impulse Foundation for their elegant, high performance dayboat.
The Foundation is the creation of Bertrand Piccard, the man who co-led the team that completed the first solar powered flight around the world in 2017. He started the Efficient Solutions designation as a way to guide people to the best new ecologically oriented products and services and ‘boost the adoption of profitable solutions that protect the environment‘.
In order to receive the label, all applicants undergo a rigorous screening and evaluation process. Because the goal is to provide a label guiding people to products and services that provide realistic environmental solutions, there are 3 criteria that are judged: feasibility, environmental impact and profitability.
The Foundation has assembled panels of international experts – World Alliance Members – who are carefully screened for their expertise and then assigned to judge the appropriate categories. Each must have a minimum of three years of experience in the relevant business sector and five years experience in work related to one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SGD).
For Lanéva, the SGDs are SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, and SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production.
Qualifies under 12 categories
It also qualified under 12 categories of application:
- Efficient motors
- Green chemistry
- Composites materials
- Hybrid electric
- Plug-in hybrids
- All electric
- Private transport
- Hybrid electric
- Plug-in hybrids
- All electric
- Water transport innovation
- Bio-based substitutes to minerals and metals
This is some of what the judges had to say about Lanéva in their analysis:
“Lanéva boats combine advanced technology and traditional know-how. They are equipped with Superior Lithium Polymer Battery whose cells were designed for military operations while its two axial flow and 95% energy-efficient motors have been used in the aviation sector. The complete integration of the propulsion chain, the technological hinge of the boat, is ensured by a smart and innovative connectivity system.“
Monaco electric boat embraces sustainability
Lanéva burst on the Monaco electric boat scene in April 2019 with its first boat launched in a ribbon cutting ceremony by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II. From there it was showcased at EVERMonaco – the international conference of Electric Vehicles and Renewable Energies. Lanéva CEO François Richard was a driving force in having sustainable boating added to the conference topics and agenda.
Beyond the use of electric motors, Lanéva embraces sustainability throughout its design and construction. Richard says that the unique look of their boats comes from “a combination of bio-composite structure using flax fibre along with the natural materials used in the interior” such as cork, sustainable wood and upholstery made of recyclables.
On the performance end of things, the 7.9m • 26ft dayboat has twin 60kW axial flux motors supplied by 140kWh lithium polymer NMC (Nickel Cobalt Manganese) battery packs. With 2,500 RPM and torque of 250 Nm the top speed is 30 knots • 55km/h • 34mph, plenty for pulling a waterskier or wakeboard. Range is calculated to be 40nm • 74km at 20 knots (about 2 hours) and 45nm • 83km (about 3 hours) at 15 knots.
The styling, performance and efficiency is reflective of the people Lanéva credits with providing their inspiration: Nikola Tesla, Carlo Riva and Moritz von Jacobi. Tesla, of course, is one of the great geniuses in the history of electricity, while the legendary Carlo Riva and his company designed and built some of the most distinctive and iconic powerboats of the 20th century.
Moritz von Jacobi is a German/Prussian engineer who launched the world’s first electric boat on the Neva River outside Saint Petersburg in 1838. (Ed Note: For those who might be wondering, the Gussies Electric Boat Awards – for which Lanéva was nominated – are named after the Parisian who invented and demonstrated the first outboard motor, also electric, in 1881.)
We can imagine that all of these inspirational pioneers would be proud of Lanéva’s achievement in being declared one of the Solar Impulse Foundation’s 1,000 Efficient Solutions.
Lanéva joins these other Solar Impulse electric boats
Congratulations to all at Lanéva, they join these other electric boat companies and services in achieving the Solar Impulse designation and helping improve our planet for everyone:
Soel Yachts
City Boats Lisbon
SeaZen Boat Club
Grove Boats and
two of the three winners of The Gussies electric boat awards:
- Azura Marine (winner in the Over 8m / 26ft category for the solar yacht Aquanima) and
- Navalt Solar and Electric Boats (winner in the Paying Passengers category for the solar ferry Aditya)
