One-off BMW electric yacht goes on sale

The Icon is a futuristic marine yacht developed by BMW Designworks and built at TYDE GmbH shipyard in Germany in 2023. It is said to be completely functional and ready to sail, despite being an experimental one-off. There are no price estimates.

From the design standpoint, The Icon is an impressively unconventional triangular trimaran flaunting a large glass cabin atop an angular frame. Found inside are a couple of recreation zones with bespoke furnishings and a captain’s post complete with a rudder and a 32-inch infotainment display. The display apparently uses the car company’s iDrive UI and voice assistant.

The yacht relies on a hydrofoil propulsion system which helps it save up to 80% of power compared to conventional water propellers, the manufacturer reckons. The hydrofoil is driven by two e-motors rated at 136 PS (134 hp / 100 kW) each. The cruising speed is a comfortable 44 km/h (27 mph). A large 240-kWh battery array made up from the same cells as the BMW i3 battery pack gives The Icon over 90 km (56 miles) of range on a charge. The top speed is capped at 50 km/h (31 mph).