BMW and Tyde are set to Unveil a Zero-Emission Yacht and Cannes Film Festival

BMW and Tyde, a high-tech German startup, announced they’d unveil a new luxury electric-powered boat at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17 at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, the traditional home of the festival on the French Riviera.

 

The two companies said they had developed the new boat under “strict secrecy” and would not disclose details other than its name is Icon and would have zero emissions.

 

BMW’s Designworks studio developed an icon that will have a futuristic look. It also will take some cues from the BMW I car line, using BMW’s green technologies.

 

The new boat will be designed with the highest standards and aimed at a high-end segment. “The luxury market is an important point of reference for other yachting segments,” said Christoph Ballin, a Tyde cofounder, in a statement. “Also, complex and elaborate solutions can be applied here first before electric mobility becomes mainstream with large volumes in coming years.”

 

Ballin has experience in the green marine marketplace seeing he previously founded Torqeedo, an electric boat propulsion company, while his Tyde cofounder, Tobias Hoffritz, is an entrepreneur who worked with BMW in high-tech and innovation. Together they started Tyde in 2021, with headquarters on Lake Starnberg near Munich.

 

In addition, BMW has a history with the marine industry. It started a marine division in 1919 to build boat engines. The resulting BMW Marine was eventually sold to Mercury in 1987.

 

In 2000, BMW founded a lifestyle brand called Yachtsport, which sold clothing and accessories as a sponsor of the America’s Cup.

 

In coordination with Tyde, BMW is steering towards a future in zero-emissions boating. “In addition to climate-friendly propulsion, the Icon presents a wealth of pioneering innovations that are suitable for establishing sustainable mobility in the high-end segment and that create a new quality of experience,” said Ballin.