Groupe Beneteau and Fountaine Pajot form E-lektra Marine joint venture

Groupe Beneteau and Fountaine Pajot Group have formed E-lektra Marine, a 50/50 joint venture focused on electric propulsion and onboard energy management for sailing yachts.

Announced during the International Multihull Show at La Grande Motte yesterday (22 April 2026), the initiative brings together seven brands – Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, Excess, Fountaine Pajot Sailing Catamarans, Fountaine Pajot Yachts and Dufour – which will remain commercially independent.

The partners say the aim is to develop a shared technical standard for electric propulsion and onboard energy autonomy, with a target of supporting electric solutions in 10 per cent to 15 per cent of the global sailing market by 2030.

The two groups point out that more than 99 per cent of sailboats still rely on an internal combustion engine. In most cases, this is used for harbour manoeuvres, motoring in light airs and covering part of onboard energy demand.

E-lektra Marine is intended to address both propulsion and energy distribution onboard. In a statement, the firms say their new venture will focus on systems that can generate, store and manage energy at sea, where shore-based charging is not always an option. The groups cite the growing need to manage multiple onboard energy sources and demands, including solar power, batteries, generators, propulsion and domestic loads.

The project will build on previous work between the two groups, including life cycle assessment methodologies.

Groupe Beneteau has offered low-voltage electric solutions on sailboats up to 12m for several years, while Fountaine Pajot has deployed high-voltage hybrid systems on catamarans over 15m. The two groups say they will now develop a shared platform rather than continuing with separate technology bases, with the intention of making the system available to other boatbuilders.

The joint venture plans to work with a group of partners, including Alternatives Energies in La Rochelle, Cirtem in Toulouse and EVE System in Lyon.

The groups say the project will also address cost and industrial scalability by combining volumes across the seven brands, which the partners say represent 60 per cent of the global sailing market.

The platform is to remain open to other industry participants.

According to the companies, the E-lektra Marine product offering will cover electric and hybrid propulsion systems for sailboats from 9m to 24m, including full-electric, low-voltage hybrid and high-voltage hybrid configurations. The platform will also manage onboard energy, balancing solar input, generator or engine use, domestic loads and shore power.

The groups add that it will include real-time consumption monitoring via a display interface, alongside refit options to support the conversion of existing boats to electric propulsion.

“With E-lektra Marine, two major players in the sailing industry are joining forces in an unprecedented alliance to accelerate the electrification of sailing,” says Bruno Thivoyon, chair of the Groupe Beneteau management board. “By combining our industrial expertise, we aim to establish open standards and make low-emission solutions simpler, more accessible and scalable.”

Mathieu Fountaine, deputy chief executive of Fountaine Pajot, adds: “After several years of deployment, Alternatives Energies has demonstrated that scalable solutions do exist. The E-lektra Marine joint venture with Groupe Beneteau shows that our industry can mobilise around shared environmental objectives.

“Today, electrification is becoming essential; it must now be made accessible across the entire sailing market.”