E-ssence, a startup of Bolognese genesis that launched in 2023 in Liguria and Lombardy the service for the rental via app of boats with only electric motors, and Navia, a shipyard built in Rome that is designing greentech boats with integrated solar panels, have signed a partnership to create a collaboration. Navia will supply its own boats and will undertake to install the E-ssence application package in all models, which in turn will promote the share-mobility business on water. The business around the rental of electric boats, however, is growing, according to the Mordor Intelligence report, the global market is expected to rise by 5% between now and 2027, reaching 20 billion euros, the European one to 6.5 billion euros in the same period. In Italy, the size is currently around 60 million euros and strong growth is expected in 2024. “From the very beginning, we understood Navia’s approach to the high quality of their boats; not only in terms of materials, but above all in terms of engineering and performance at sea,” Leonardo Caiazza, founder of E-ssence, said in a statement. Thanks to this partnership, we will be able to offer our customers a constantly cutting-edge product. We are two startups that have entered the sustainable boating sector at the same time, presenting distinct but perfectly complementary models. We are convinced that this collaboration represents a victory for both parties.” “This collaboration represents a decisive moment for us,” comments Guglielmo La Via, founder of Navia, a company based in Rome with operational headquarters in Sabaudia, near the San Felice Circeo area. Thanks to E-ssence and their innovative electric boat sharing service, we are confident that we can optimally respond to the growing needs of the market. I believe that their scalable business model can promote the visibility of our product to a large audience of highly targeted customers. We will strive to build tech boats designed specifically for the E-ssence market.”
Electric boat sharing
E-ssence has created the first fully online electric boat sharing in Italy, a model that exists in Europe only in the Netherlands. The founders of the startup are Michele Lauriola and Leonardo Caiazza. The system they propose is the same as that used for scooters in cities, it is fully automated. You unlock the boat with the app on your mobile phone, navigate with the assistance of a virtual skipper who suggests itineraries and points of interest to visit, then moor and end the rental, but not before having recharged the boat: this is the only obligation for the user before going ashore. E-ssence has developed the software for the management of procedures, since 2023 it has made three boats available to its customers: one is moored in the port of Mirabello in La Spezia in B2C mode and the second is managed by an operator on Lake Garda, in B2B mode, like the third, on Lake Bracciano. These locations are confirmed for the 2024 season, to which other destinations will be added, from central to northern Italy, passing through the islands. As a first result of the partnership with Navia, the integration of the E-ssence app will be achieved with the Navia X model, a high-performance inflatable boat, and with the new electric boat model being designed, characterized by high ecological standards, innovative solar panels and amazing performance ideal for use in marine protected areas.
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