After creating a foiling glass lounge boat with BMW and presenting it in June at the Cannes Film Festival, German electric boat start-up Tyde is launching a second project with the premium carmaker’s design daughter Designworks. The ‘Tyde Open’ is a 49-foot foiling electric yacht, the world’s largest to be seen (in autumn 2024).

BMW’s contribution is not limited to Designworks’ signature. The yacht will get a 400kWh bank of BMW i3 batteries to feed twin 100 kW Torqeedo Deep Blue electric motors. That should enable a top speed of 30 knots (55,5 km/h) and a cruising speed of 25 knots, with a range of up to 55 nautical miles (101 km).

Lounge boat for ‘social meetings’

The drivetrain is the same as featured in The Icon, the first boat presented together earlier this year. It was first shown in Cannes (France) at the Film Festival and two months later, in September, at the Cannes Boat Show.

That one is a futuristic-looking 43-foot lounge boat featuring a flat hull with a prism-like deck shape with lots of glass and a 360° view around. It is designed as a social meeting place with design furniture that can rotate in all directions and a pilot cockpit with screens and a steering wheel that mimics BMW cars.

Fully electric day cruiser

‘The Open’ is another breed, a day cruiser or so-called ‘weekender’, aimed at private owners who want the luxury of a motor yacht without the usual heavy environmental footprint and are keen to embrace the latest sustainable boating tech.

At 17 to 18 knots, the hydrofoils underneath the waterline raise the boat above the water surface, dramatically reducing friction and lowering energy consumption by 80% compared to conventional ICE motor yachts. When sailing at cruising speed, these can easily consume up to 150 liters of gasoline or diesel per hour.

As the name suggests, The Open is an open-walkaround model that measures 14,7 meters overall and has a maximum beam of 4,5 meters. It has a distinct wedge form, starting with a razor-sharp bow at the waterline and a wide beam aft with a sofa for sunbathing, a cockpit table, and a swimming platform. The boat’s roof is tiled with solar panels entirely.

In front of the windscreen and the – BMW-inspired – two-seater helm station is an open bench for passengers, often featured on smaller speed boats. Under the deck, there will be accommodation for two to sleep, a small galley, and a shower-head combination.

Porsche and Polestar

It might seem unusual for a carmaker to go on the water with an electric boat like this, but Porsche is not the first car brand to do so. In October, Porsche showed the Frauscher x Porsche 850 eFantom Air, which was presented to a select public on Lake Garda in Italy. That’s the forthcoming all-electric Porsche Macan, somehow disguised in an Austrian powerboat design.

And there is Volvo’s electric sister, Polestar, which joined its Swedish compatriot, electric ‘flyboat’ inventor Candela. The latter is one of the pioneers in electric hydrofoiling boats, already commercializing its speedboat models for some years now. Polestar will supply the battery and charging systems for Candela’s speedboats, giving the start-up a boost in scaling up.

Former Designworks’ art director

So, how did BMW find its way to the water? Its American-based Designworks studio was already engaged in designing for German sailing and motor yacht manufacturer Bavaria more than 13 years ago, and the carmaker itself used to be an active sponsor and technology partner with Oracle for one of the world’s most prestigious sailing races, the America’s Cup, among others.

But you don’t have to look back so far to find connections, knowing that the managing director and co-founder at Tyde GmbH is Tobias Hoffritz, the former BMW Designworks’ automotive art director.

His business partner, co-CEO, and co-founder is Christoph Ballin, who happens to be one of the co-founders of Bavarian electric marine motor builder Torqeedo. The latter is a German pioneer in electric outboard motors, up to complete 200 kW battery and engine systems for 30-meter-plus blue-water catamarans and autonomous ferries. That 200 kW system is also used in the Tyde-BMW boats.