The Beneteau Group just launched its first all-electric boat, the 35-foot Delphia 11, designed to cruise lakes and rivers in peace and quiet, leaving no emissions behind.
Beneteau bought Delphia, a Polish builder, in 2018. It is now the first company in the sweeping Beneteau fleet to build totally electric boats. Its lineup will include seven boats from 30 to 42 feet, including the Delphia 10 series designed by British designer Tony Castro and the Dutch design firm, Vripack, last September.
The new Delphia 11 will have a single 56kW (80-hp) Torqeedo Deep Blue 50i 1400 electric motor with one or two 38kWh battery banks. It also has solar panels to feed the service batteries, and upright windshields, to deflect heat from the sun and reduce the need for air conditioning.
The Delphia 11 comes in both Salon and Flybridge models, and three different versions. The Life is for lakes; Cruise for extended inland cruising, and Rapid, which adds a single 22kW fast charger. All three use the same battery packs – the same as those in the BMW i3.
But Cruise and Rapid have two battery packs to double capacity. With those packs, the boats have a range of 43 nm, or the ability to run for 10 hours at 4.3 knots. You can charge the batteries overnight using standard 16A shore power. The rapid charger lets the batteries charge from 40 to 80 percent in three hours.
The boats have a full-displacement hull, with an upright stem and then a large flare forward, to increase interior volume. They also have oversized rubber rub rails along the sides. And there are lounge areas forward and aft, with an outside wet bar and grill with a large prep area aft.
The lower accommodations deck can house one cabin and one head, or two cabins and one head, or three cabins and two heads. The Sedan model has an air draft of just 9 feet, so it can slide under a lot of bridges on the waterways of Europe.
You can also order the boat with a Yanmar diesel, from 57- to 150-hp.
Sedan model specs.: LOA: 35’3”; Beam: 12’6”; Draft: 2’6”; Disp.: 15,811 lbs.; Fuel: NA; Water: 100 gals.; Power: 1×80-hp electric motor. Read more:
