Volkswagen and Cupra join forces to manufacture a Silent Yachts electric solar catamaran.
Austrian shipowner Silent Yachts has garnered quite a bit of attention with its solar electric catamarans.
Its latest model is the result of a cooperation with the automakers Volkswagen and Cupra.
According to Silent Yachts, the solar-powered electric catamaran will have its own photovoltaic system. You will use it to charge the batteries which in turn will provide power to the on-board electronics and its electric powertrain.
That system will be based on Volkswagen’s Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB) platform.
The MEB was initially designed as an optimized means of supplying power from a bank of batteries built into the chassis to a motor in the rear axle of a car – the platform can also be configured for four-wheel drive.
Since then, Volkswagen has made the technology available to third-party applications, its next use for turning the catamaran’s propellers.
The yacht is being designed by Cupra, which is a brand of the Spanish automaker Seat, owned by VW.
Like the other Silent Yachts models, the company says it should be quieter and more environmentally friendly than conventional catamarans that burn fossil fuels, and more economical to maintain.
