Electric boat sharing arrives on Lake Garda

29 February 2024

LONATO- A new model of electric boat that can be 'unlocked' via App will be presented on 6 March at the 'Bologna Business School' during the start-up day, essentially the first 'Electric boat sharing' in Italy.
The system proposed by the two start-ups, Navia (supplying the boats) and E-ssence (developing the software) is the same as that used for sharing bicycles and scooters.

For the launch, the start-up E-ssence, has started to make three boats available to its customers in as many Italian locations: in La Spezia, on Lake Bracciano, and on Lake Garda, at the "Storic Lidorama" shipyard, in Via Catullo1 in Lido di Lonato, but in the coming season other destinations will be added where they can navigate with the boats of the first completely online boat sharing.

But how does the innovative system work? You unlock the boat (which can be driven with or without a licence) with the App on your mobile phone, navigate with the assistance of a virtual skipper who suggests itineraries and points of interest, then moor and lock up, available to the next user, not before charging it, the only obligation for the user before going ashore.

The business model is short-term rental of electric boats, as is the case in cities for bicycles and scooters. All you need is your mobile phone: you look for the nearest boat on the App's map, arrive and unlock the helm with a click and then sail freely, even without a licence.

Bookings can also be made days apart to plan your holiday. The App provides an integrated weather service, tutorials on how to use the boat, a map of charging points and suggested itineraries.
There is also intermodality, coordinated with companies that rent bicycles and electric cars. The electric boat rental business, moreover, is growing. According to the most recent research (source: Mordor Intelligence report) the world market is expected to grow by 5% between now and 2027 to 20 billion, the European market to 6.5 billion over the same period. 


Article from 'Verona sera'