Innovative Swedish boat builders X Shore raised $50 million in fresh finding this week to help ramp up production of the brand’s Eelex 8000 e-boat, which went into series production earlier this year.
The first X Shore prototypes were launched in January of 2019, following a successful crowdfunding of 1.5 million Euros, followed by another 5 million Euro investment from Swedish business leaders and venture capitalists and a later $17 million raise. This $50 million hit, however, is its biggest yet, and serves as a vote of extreme confidence in the startup boat builder that Forbes called, “the Tesla of the Sea.”
So, why should you care? If you’re looking for a unique and exciting offshore experience withoutthe emotional baggage of internal combustion, you have to look at the X Shore Eelex 8000. The Eelex promises a range of more than 100 nautical miles, a top speed of 35 knots, and silent, clean operation with a transom design that makes it unlike anything else. It’s not just a great boat without ICE baggage, though— it’s a better boat without ICE baggage. And that’s by design.
X Shore | Designed Better
Image courtesy X Shore.
“We’re trying to drive the transformation that you’ve seen in the automotive industry from combustion engine cars to electric cars,” CEO Jenny Keisu told the TechFirst podcast last April. “We’re trying to drive that in the marine segment, and we believe that in order for people to change, the product needs to be better. It needs to be a better user experience. We (people) won’t change just because it’s more environmentally friendly.”
The X Shore features a lot of “standard” EV features like automation, digital touchscreen interfaces, an app that connects it to your smartphone for all manner of monitoring and diagnostics, over-the-air (OTA) software updates, and— of course— rocket-like acceleration from the electric motor’s massive, instant torque. (You know, like Tesla!)
You can get a better sense of what this electric boat is all about in the company’s official product video, “The Full X-Shore Eelex 8000 Experience,” below, then scroll down to the bottom of the page and let us know what you think of the Eelex 8000 and the future of electric boating, in the comments. If you’ve seen enough and you’re ready to drop $329,000 (ish) on a new ocean Tesla, contact BCI Marine in Canada.
Source | Images: X Shore.
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