Groupe Beneteau and Fountaine Pajot Group have formed a joint venture, E-Lektra Marine, to accelerate the adoption of electric propulsion and energy systems in the sailing sector.
The 50-50 partnership brings together seven sailing brands – Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, Excess, Fountaine Pajot Sailing Catamarans, Fountaine Pajot Yachts and Dufour – to develop standardized solutions for electric propulsion and onboard energy management.
The companies said more than 99% of sailboats currently rely on internal combustion engines, which remain necessary for maneuvers, periods without wind and onboard energy needs. The joint venture aims to address this by developing alternatives that can support broader electrification across the sector.
E-Lektra Marine will focus not only on propulsion but also on overall onboard energy management, including the integration of solar power, batteries, generators and onboard systems. The goal is to create systems capable of managing energy flows in real time while maintaining operational reliability and autonomy at sea.
The partners intend to build a shared technological platform rather than develop separate systems. This platform is expected to be open to other industry players, with the aim of establishing a global standard and achieving the production scale needed to make electric solutions more cost-competitive.
The joint venture will define and validate standardized systems for different vessel sizes and uses, covering sailboats from 9-24m. These will include fully electric, low-voltage and high-voltage hybrid configurations, along with real-time energy monitoring and a global service network.
E-Lektra Marine will work with several technology partners, including Alternatives Energies, Cirtem and Eve System, focusing on areas such as electrical system integration, energy conversion and battery design.
The initiative builds on existing electrification efforts by both groups. Groupe Beneteau has introduced electric and hybrid solutions across several models, while Fountaine Pajot has deployed hybrid systems on cruising catamarans and is expanding these across its product range.
By combining production volumes across seven brands – representing around 60% of the global sailing market – the companies aim to support wider adoption of electric systems. Their target is to electrify 10-15% of the global sailing market by 2030.
Bruno Thivoyon, chairman of the management board at Groupe Beneteau, said, “By combining our industrial expertise, we aim to establish open standards and make low-emission solutions simpler, more accessible and scalable.”
Mathieu Fountaine, deputy CEO of Fountaine Pajot, added, “Today, electrification is becoming essential; it must now be made accessible across the entire sailing market.”
In related news, ABB launches new permanent magnet motor series to meet demand for compact, high-efficiency electrification solutions