Hasta La Ideas

Swiss designer Yves Béhar has collaborated with Italian shipyard Rossinavi to create Solsea, a concept for an electric hybrid catamaran superyacht, which is capable of an 80 per cent electric transatlantic crossing.

Unveiled at this year’s Design Miami, the Solsea concept features a combination of large solar panels and an onboard AI-monitored battery.

According to Béhar, this solar system would reduce the yacht’s fuel consumption and operating costs by 80 per cent when cruising. While shorter journeys could be powered entirely electrically, Solsea could make transatlantic trips using 80 per cent electric power.

Solsea could be fully recharged on shore in only five hours.

“The yacht’s catamaran eco-displacement hull is designed for maximum hydrodynamic efficiency, enabling full-electric cruising,” said Béhar.

“This would not only reduce emissions but also minimise noise, vibrations and odours, while enhancing onboard comfort and a connection to nature,” he added.

Solsea would also include a hibernation mode when the catamaran was moored, minimising energy consumption.

The solar panels would have the capacity to distribute the energy collected over a day to sources at the marina when the vessel was moored, or power an entire villa, according to Béhar.

Subtly integrated into the design, the solar panels would clad the yacht’s undulating roof – including a retractable cover for the swimming pool on the upper deck.

Béhar has chosen a sleek minimalist design for the interior, which would feature materials including cork flooring, wood panelling and ocean-sourced recycled plastic.

The battery would be fitted with Rossinavi‘s custom AI technology to monitor its lifespan. The technology would ensure that the battery would remain within the “optimal range” of 20 to 80 per cent, explained Béhar.

“Additionally, it would assist and interact with the crew to maintain efficient operations,” added the designer.

“This visionary vessel sets a new standard for sustainable, silent ocean exploration,” he concluded.

Béhar is the founder of design studio Fuseproject. The studio previously collaborated with tech studio Kind Humanoid to create a body for a robotic system intended for various domestic and commercial environments.

Dezeen’s features editor Nat Barker recently explored how the superyacht industry is responding to the increasingly urgent issue of sustainability.

Miami art week takes place across Miami, Florida from 2 to 8 December. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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