Swedish electric boat maker X Shore has just unveiled its latest electric boat model, the X Shore 1. The new electric boat is designed to significantly reduce prices in the expensive electric boat industry.
The number of models available in the electric boating industry has expanded significantly in the last few years. More options have increased the variety of electric boats available, but they haven’t done much for the high prices – or at least, not until now.
X Shore teased us for weeks about “something new” that was in the works. I did a bit of sleuthing on the original teasers and laid the path for something like this, but even I didn’t expect what the company ultimately unveiled in the X Shore 1.
The newly unveiled electric boat borrows much of the same Scandinavian design language of the company’s flagship Eelex 8000 boat, but with key cost savings in the design and production process. The Eelex 8000’s clean layout, cork decking, large touch display and smart technology all make the leap to the smaller 21 ft boat (6.4 meters). One thing that doesn’t make it aboard though is the higher price.
While an Eelex 8000 will set you back US $329,000, the new X Shore 1 comes in at just $139,000.
Welcome to a new age of nearly-affordable electric boats, folks.
The pre-preg production method of the hull occurs in-house at X Shore’s factory, reducing the weight and thus the energy demand of the boat. Construction mixes glass fiber and carbon fiber to balance cost, performance, and environmental concerns. The use of cork decking instead of traditional teak wood is another nod towards the environmental impact of the boat.
The X Shore 1 includes an open transom with a built-in swim platform that passengers can use to easily hop off and slip back on, right from the water.
Available in two models of either open design or canopy top, the boat will reach a top speed of 30 knots (35 mph or 56 km/h) thanks to a 125 kW motor (168 hp).
Compared to the 126 kWh capacity of the Eelex 8000, the X Shore 1 comes with a single smaller 63 kWh battery that helps reduce the cost. It offers a claimed range of 50 nautical miles (58 miles or 97 km) at slower speeds.
A 20-80% recharge can be performed in as little as 1.5 hours with a 22.5 kW charger, though a lower power 7 kW charger would take just over 4 hours. Fast charging in 50 minutes is possible with a 45 kW charger.
Many people don’t realize just how much the boating industry contributes to global carbon emissions. According to X Shore, the emissions from high-performance fossil fuel-powered boats add up quickly. The company claims that in just 50 hours on the water, common 6-10 meter (20-33 ft.) boats can produce emissions comparable to more than seven round trips between New York and central Europe by airplane.
And that’s before you consider other issues including noise pollution and water pollution from internal combustion engine boats.
As the company explained:
The continued electrification of boating is crucial to support climate change mitigation and a decarbonized global economy. A swift transition to sustainable boating is necessary for global emission reduction targets to be achievable. To enable this transition, X Shore is massively ramping up production capacity and launching the X Shore 1 at a remarkable price point.
The X Shore 1 is now prepping for production at X Shore Industries 1 in Nyköping, Sweden, ahead of estimated Q2 2023 deliveries.
Electrek’s Take
This is pretty cool. At this price, you don’t have to be a dentist to buy an electric boat. You can just be someone who goes to a dentist.
The X Shore 1 certainly looks beautiful, and I’m sure it’s going to be great to operate. My biggest concern, though, is just how far you can go on a 63 kWh battery. Boats are not known for being very efficient, mostly on account of having to push all that water out of the way. An electric car wouldn’t be very efficient, either, if it had to drive through standing water all the time.
The 50 nautical miles of range at “slow speeds” sounds nice, but what happens when I want to go fast? How far can I go then? There’s some important information missing here.
Even so, I’m glad to see prices coming down this drastically. The more I’ve gotten into electric boating over the years, the more I’ve come to appreciate what a huge difference it makes. No sound, no smell, no engine maintenance, no fuel cans. Just ease of use.
My father and I built a small electric boat together a few years ago, and twice in the past year I’ve test-driven electric boats in Sweden to appreciate just how quiet and pleasant they are to operate. It’s a night and day difference compared to the ICE-powered boats I grew up seeing.
I’ve even taken the plunge and recently purchased my own electric boat, but it’s a much less fancy 13-footer that I bought on Alibaba (and it hasn’t arrived yet, so I should probably wait until it lands to celebrate it). It’s a very different boat, and the cute little 0.5 kW motor can’t quite compare to the 125 kW motor in the X Shore 1, but maybe if I work hard enough then I’ll have my own beautiful Scandinavian electric boat one day.
Until then, I can drool over the pictures.
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