Electric boats are still a small part of the market in Mallorca, but they are no longer a curiosity. From converted traditional fishing boats to luxury day cruisers and an electric ferry between Ibiza and Formentera, electric propulsion is gaining ground in Balearic waters.
A market waiting to take off
Javier Coterillo, co-director of the Medvolt Marine shipyard, describes the private leisure market as being in a state of anticipation. Businesses such as luxury hotels have been looking for electric boats for several years, but private owners have been slower to make the change.
One option that has caught on is converting existing boats. Coterillo says the traditional Mallorcan llaüt, a wooden fishing boat now widely used for leisure, is particularly well suited to conversion for short trips along the coast, and that owners who have made the switch are generally happy with the result.
Many more companies
A few years ago, only a handful of businesses on the island specialised in electric boats. Today, according to Coterillo, there are close to 30. He attributes the growth to steady improvements in batteries and falling costs.
Range and charging
At the upper end of the market, the Austrian manufacturer Frauscher sells several electric models, including the Fantom Air day cruiser, which costs around €700,000 fully equipped. Christian Orban, a sales specialist at the company, says the key to wider adoption is infrastructure: once boat owners can sail around Mallorca knowing they will find charging points along the way, demand will rise much faster.
Sharing instead of owning
The Mallorca Electric Boat Club, founded by Philipp von Arnim, offers memberships that give access to electric boats without the cost of owning one. Von Arnim says users increasingly trust the reliability of electric propulsion. He also points to the work of Spain’s National Electric Boat Association, based on the island, and notes that some public tenders for official vessels now specify electric propulsion.
The benefits
- No exhaust emissions or fuel spills in the water.
- Almost silent, vibration-free cruising.
- Lower running and maintenance costs.
The main limits remain range, purchase price and the shortage of charging points. With battery technology improving and marinas starting to install chargers, the sector expects growth to accelerate in the coming years.
