X Shore, the Stockholm-based maker of all-electric powered boats has today announced its first foray into the world of the maritime professional sector with its third model, aptly named the X Shore PRO.
While the phrase ‘out of sight, out of mind’ comes to mind, for all the talk about sustainability and companies and countries meeting the ESG goals, we often don’t give a second thought to that screen you’re reading these words on. How did it get to you?
My guess is that it wasn’t shipped on an Einride or similar, but that it was at one point packaged inside a container which was then placed on an ocean-going vessel which can consume some 63,000 gallons of marine fuel per day, say nothing of the carbon output of said vessel.
While not quite a regulatory requirement yet, X Shore’s move is timely as Amsterdam is enacting a ban on commercial boats with diesel engines operating on the city’s canals by 2025, Venice has provided electric boats with an exception from a law aimed at restricting boat traffic and air pollution in the city’s canals, and Norway has adopted a resolution to halt emissions from cruise ships and ferries in its fjords no later than 2026.
Across the pond, US states such as Minnesota and Washington now prohibit combustion engines. In April of this year, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the Fresh Coast Maritime Challenge, which provides commercial enterprises with a sustainable and cost-effective way to transition to electric-powered vessels.
Similar in ways to Candela's electric hydrofoil, the X Shore PRO has been designed for companies and organisations operating in areas including commercial traffic, shuttle services, diving, coast guards, and other maritime pursuits.
X Shore CEO Jenny Keisu comments:
“The boating and shipping industries must be decarbonised and central to this mission is bringing to market viable and scalable alternatives to fossil fuel-powered vessels. The X Shore PRO is the natural evolution of our offering - our flagship Eelex showed that electric vessels can be beautiful and high-performance, and the X Shore 1 makes electric boating available at a lower price point.
“Now, the X Shore PRO shows that electric boats can serve the industry and deliver change at scale and reach the lives of more people. We must not expect regular citizens to single-handedly drive the major net zero transition we need to mitigate climate change - this change must be driven by powerful figures such as companies, cities, and politicians. In launching the PRO, X Shore is providing a valuable tool to reach sustainability targets.”
Lead image: X Shore Pro. Image provided by X Shore.
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