JOOOL system looks to drive big growth in electrified sailboats

September 20, 2026 Jeff Butler 0 Comments Beneteau, Chantier de L'Arsenal, Dufour, Fountaine Pajot, Jeanneau, JOOOL, Lagoon, Leopard, RM Yachts

Two of the world’s largest sailboat builders – Fountaine Pajot and Beneteau – have joined forces on the JOOOL brand of electric propulsion systems, setting a goal to have 15% of new sailboats be fitted with electric propulsion by 2030.

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The companies have appointed Philippe Hamon, a 30 year veteran of France’s electric vehicle industry, as head of the initiative. Hamon sees the target as definitely attainable, citing the growth of electric cars worldwide, which went from 1% of new car sales in 2000 to 25% in 2025.

The program was announced at the Cannes Yachting Festival in a joint presentation by Mathieu Fountaine, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Fountaine Pajot and Bruno Thivoyon, Chief Executive Officer of Beneteau.

15% of new sailboats electrified by 2030

Each of the companies have ventured into electric propulsion on their own over the past few years, but came to the realization that it was better to combine efforts and have a common, standardized system that could be implemented not only across their own brands and sub brands – which make up a significant portion of the worldwide sailing yacht market – but also on the boats of other builders and even in the refit market.

They are optimistic that building and now marketing the first open platform to standardize electric propulsion and energy management across the entire sailing market will drive scale, competitiveness and adoption.

JOOOL (named after the standard unit of measurement for energy, work, and heat in the International System of Units) is the name that will be on all of the electric and hybrid systems, bringing under its umbrella a lot of work done for F-P and Beneteau by a variety of companies with combined experience of over 28 years in maritime electrification engineering.

Proven with 1M operated hours

Before the consolidation under the JOOOL brand, those companies had designed and installed electric and/or hybrid propulsion systems on 41 ferries and shuttles in daily commercial operation and 44 hybrid sailboat models at sea across five continents. Together that adds up to one million operated hours and over 20 million zero-emission passenger journeys.

The proven robustness of the system is one of the key attributes the company says must be at the core of any electric technology wanting to convert customers from fossil fuel. Customers also want assurance that if anything does go wrong it can be fixed.

In that regard, JOOOL already has 19 after-sales services points operating in the Mediterranean, North America and the Caribbean with plans to have that network expand in step with new installations to cover all continents.

There are six elements in the JOOOL system:

OneBox, the core of the energy system, that oversees power conversion and distribution
EPMS (Energy and Propulsion Management System), the intelligence layer that connects all modules
Inverter that enables energy conversion and distribution on the boat
Powerpod motor with hydrogeneration capabilities (can generate electricity when the boat is under wind power)
Battery Pack: LiFeP04 (sometime LFP) chemistry
Throttle that provides intuitive control of the complete propulsion system — from startup to full power to hydrogeneration — with a single lever

While the system is standardized, it is also flexible enough to cover the full range of sailing boats, monohulls and catamarans from 40 to 140 feet. JOOL will initially offer propulsion systems with motors from 25kW to 50 kW (35 – 75 hp) and energy storage of 21 kiloWatthours to 300 kWh.

An electrified boat is not like an electric car

Having an electrified sailboat is more than just substituting electric motors for fossil fuel motors. One of the many advantages of using using ‘electrons over atoms’ is that propulsion becomes part of a global energy management system that is integrated with usage, distribution and recharging throughout the boat, both at sea and port.

JOOOL CEO Hamon, the EV veteran who was previously Chief Technical Officer of Valeo Siemens eAutomotive said ‘An electric boat is not the same as an electric vehicle. We use a car to get from one place to another, but a boat is more like a moving home on the water, where we sleep, eat and live.”

That requires a system that can monitor the flow of the different electric currents used on a boat (Alternating and Direct) and be able to convert and exchange electricity AC/DC, DC/DC, and DC/AC. That usage then needs to be translated into easily understood graphics on a wide variety of HMI displays (Human Machine Interfaces).

One of the most important features of the JOOOL system may not have anything to do with propulsion at all, but is used only at anchor or in port – the Silent Mode. The objective of Silent Mode is to monitor and determine energy usage in such a way that the fossil fuel generators don’t need to be run to satisfy the needs of the boat’s ‘hotel load’ when the boat is not moving.

The OneBox and EPMS look at three things. The inputs: combustion generator, electric motor/turbine generation, solar panels. The outputs: lights, air conditioning, water pumps, regrigerators. And the battery capacity. JOOOL adjusts and redirects so that all of the boat’s comforts can be run off the battery when the boat is idle. Silently. No more rumbling generators and fumes at night.

Dramatically reducing electric propulsion cost difference

A big consideration and barrier to the rapid adoption of electric and hybrid system on sailboats has been the cost. Standardization is key to bringing those down. Building a common platform reduces costs in every link of the supply and service chain. Manufacturing and marketing and sales costs are lowered, sales are simplified with better understanding by the consumer as they see others using electricity, and the service outlets around the globe are familiar with the product and problems being presented to them.

Analyzing the sailing catamaran market – which obviously Beneteau and Fountaine Pajot are very familiar with – the companies say the current cost gap between the price of a combustion sailboat and an electric hybrid is about 70%. That is not the difference in the cost of the entire boat, just the propulsion system. Still, it is significant. JOOOL’s objective is to bring that down to a 10% differential by 2032.

Explomar high performance electric outboard motors

Even at current prices, electric / hybrid makes sense for a lot of people not just because of the environmental advantages and peacefulness of Silent Mode, but also because fuel savings can be as much as 50% – which mounts up over the long life time of a high quality vessel. With a 10% cost gap, the electric option clearly has an advantage, especially with electricity grids worldwide being bulked up in the transition away from hydrocarbon dependency.

The first sailing boats with the JOOOL system are part of the Fountaine Pajot / Beneteau families – Fountaine Pajot, Beneteau, Dufour, Lagoon, Jeanneau – along with Leopard, RM and Chantier de L’Aresenal.

JOOOL website Beneteau website Fountaine Pajot website Dufour website Lagoon website Jeanneau website Leopard website RM Yachts website Chantier de L’Arsenal website