After more than 180 years’ perfecting the art of boat building, revered Italian manufacturer Riva Yacht has launched the Riva El-Iseo, the company’s first all-electric motor yacht. Now owned by the Ferretti Group, along with Pershing, CRN, Wally, Custom Line and more, Riva first showed the prototype El-Iseo at Monaco in 2022.
The customer-ready boat, shown here, has been designed by the firm’s regular collaborators, Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta, founders of Officina Italiana Design. It’s a classically elegant shape, albeit with an entirely new design for the deck, cockpit and helm station, and a new hull colour for the company, California Sky Blue. This colour complements the familiar aquamarine ‘beauty line’ that can be seen just above the waterline and is found on all Riva boats, past and present (examples of which are overwintered and maintained in Monaco’s Riva Tunnel).
Riva El-Iseo electric motor yacht: the greening of conspicuous consumption
At 8.4m (27ft) and a maximum beam of 2.5m, El-Iseo is finished with the familiar polished mahogany deck and stern platform, with stainless steel details and deck equipment. It’s closely related to the conventionally powered Iseo model, sold alongside the classic Aquariva model. The helm station has a fully digital dashboard with two touchscreen displays providing charts and battery status, while the rest of the cockpit is beautifully trimmed and furnished for guests to lounge, swim and eat.
Under the hull is a high-energy-density lithium battery pack, driving a Parker GVM310 full electric engine from American manufacturer Parker Hannifin. This gives the El-Iseo a top speed of 40 knots and a cruising speed of 25 knots, as well as much swifter acceleration than a conventionally-powered equivalent. Like an electric car, the 150 kWh battery pack can be fast charged, with Riva suggesting a 20 to 80 per cent charge can be achieved in 75 minutes.
Power can be delivered through three different cruising modes, Adagio, Andante and Allegro. The first is for the most economical use of power, with a limited top speed of five knots and the ability to spend up to ten hours pottering about between bays with zero sound or emissions. Andante mode lifts the maximum speed to 25 knots, while Allegro is the all-out maximum sporting mode. Should you drop below 20 per cent charge while out on the water, the boat will automatically enter Adagio mode to preserve your chances of getting home without running out of power.
The electric boating scene is still confined to high-end, small-scale powerboats, and Riva’s innovation is a welcome step in the greening of conspicuous consumption. Next step, time to electrify that most profligate all modes of transport, the superyacht.
Riva El-Iseo, price on application, Riva-Yacht.com, @RivaYacht
-
The Emory, RSHP’s first luxury hotel in London, is a rising starNew London hotel The Emory presents the perfect showcase of RSHP’s signature functionalist style and hospitality group Maybourne’s elevated luxury
-
‘Born in Oasi Zegna: The Book’ looks back to the house’s Alpine rootsPublished by Rizzoli, ‘Born in Oasi Zegna’ looks towards the Oasi Zegna natural territory in the Italian Alps, where ZEGNA opened its first wool mill in 1910 and has since fostered a thriving natural ecosystem of more than 500,000 trees
-
The New York art exhibitions to see nowFrom MoMA to the smaller spaces, here are the best New York art exhibitions to catch before they close
-
This conceptual pairing of eVTOL and electric superyacht is a new expression of stealth wealthSilent Yachts has teamed up with British eVTOL manufacturer VRCO to integrate the Xcraft XP4 into the flagship Silent 120 electric catamaran
-
Zaha Hadid Architects creates Oneiric, a new catamaran concept for RossinaviGreen technology and Zaha Hadid Architects’ typically fluid, sculptural approach to form give the Oneiric Catamaran concept oceans of appeal
-
These next-generation superyachts are set to make wavesIn the wake of the Monaco Yacht Show 2021, a new fleet of concept yachts sets sail, promising hydrogen power, virtual command centres and glass-bottomed pools – ready the retractable helipad, we're on our way
-
Spirit’s new curving superyacht is a wooden masterpieceSpirit 111 is thought to be the largest single-masted wooden yacht built in the UK since the 1930s
-
Danish architecture studio Norm brings ‘soft minimalism' to the deck of a 70-foot sailing yachtCopenhagen-based studio Norm considers a sleek new interior to MS Yachtbau's new competitive sailing yacht
-
Giorgetti continues its voyage into interior yacht designItalian design house Giorgetti has teamed up with Monte Carlo Yachts in a new customisable vessel offering high design interiors
-
Princess Yachts R35 performance yacht brings ‘fast decorum’‘Captain Carbon' provides design insight into this refreshingly well-rounded yacht experience
-
Lexus LY 650 Luxury Yacht marries Japanese performance with Italian aesthetics
