When we started, back in 2009, we realised that the technology we were looking for did not exist yet; and that to make our dream come true we would have had to create it ourselves. The batteries, the powertrains, the outboard motors that were available on the market, as a matter of fact, were not fit to be used on electric boats. At least not the way we envisioned. So we rolled our sleeves up and we worked hard.
Over ten years later, our technology is still evolving. And that’s what it’s supposed to do. The world of sustainable mobility changes according to the demands of the market and the needs of each and very one of our customers.
It is this kind of awareness and versatility that allowed us to design and create such a wide range of high-quality electric boats. To this day, GardaSolar has an ongoing production of over 100 boats.
We started off with the GOGO Boats, electric boats with an unmistakeable design and navigation so simple it is almost child’s play. Today we can proudly say that we have a 14-metre boat that can seat up to 60 people. It is called E-Bus and it is the ambitious project we are going to launch in 2023, after the expansion of our fleet with the models Microwatt, the new Ecowatt, and the Wellness pedal boat, and following the success of our Dogado 1600 E, the luxury boat that conquered the 2021 Venice Boat Show.
Energy and technology to share
We will not stop here. As the true star at GardaSolar isn’t the boat itself, but rather the energy that makes it move. A technology that changes and adapts to the customers’ needs.
With pencil and paper at hand, we are always ready to change direction and revolutionise what we knew yesterday. This is facilitated by a working philosophy that is noticeably open to external sharing and contributions, as if our technology were a green version of that open source concept so dear to programmers. We believe that the market is big and that unity is strength. This allows for breakthrough ideas to emerge.
This does not mean that we conform to the masses, quite the contrary. An electric vehicle needs to be efficient and offer sustainable performances in terms of energy balance, all in complete safety. We have gone against the tide and developed increasingly powerful boats and we ensured on-board safety through the use of 48-volt batteries. The technological solutions employed allow us to achieve an autonomy of up to 8 hours, to navigate in peace throughout the working day and at the lowest consumption. Our design philosophy has become our trademark. This can be seen even in our most powerful engines, that are now under development in our GardaSolar laboratory.
In short, there are many projects in the pipeline and just as many challenges ahead of us. We are proud of the path we have travelled and of the +50% growth in turnover in a year as complex as 2021. But above all, we are proud that the sustainable tourism of our dreams is taking shape, thanks in part to our contribution and to those who believe in us.
