The future on the water is electric: starting this summer, Bavaria Yachts models C38e, C42e, and C46e will be available with electric or hybrid drives—offering owners even more independence on the water.
We reported here on new sailing catamarans that can be equipped with a hybrid system instead of conventional diesel engines (see our news about the new Leopard 46PC ”Electric Drive“ from May 27, 2025), German yacht builder Bavaria has announced its intention to ”electrify” its monohull sailing fleet starting this summer.
There’s no question that more and more yacht owners are opting for electric or hybrid propulsion systems on their yachts, as the advantages are obvious: leaving the harbor silently in the morning and gliding silently back to the anchorage at sunset, no annoying emissions, and, of course, the ability to sail in areas that are off-limits to conventional combustion engines.
Bavaria now wants to offer its new C38e, C42e, and C46e sailing yachts with electric or hybrid drives. In terms of sailing characteristics, interior, and layout, the new models correspond to their sisters, the BAVARIA C38, C42, and C46, but what the boat builders from Giebelstadt really value is that “the ecological footprint is now even smaller.”
The hardware and technology for the new electric and hybrid drives from Bavaria Yachts comes from EPTechnologies in Denmark
The hardware and technology comes from EPTechnologies in Denmark, which has been an innovation leader in the field of alternative drives for yachts for many years. The EPT system was integrated into Bavaria yachts by the shipyard team.
Propulsion is provided by a saildrive with an electric motor. The C38e and C42e deliver 25 kW of power to the water. The C46e delivers 37 kW. The heart and brain of the system is the Multibox, which controls the charging of the batteries and the entire system.
On the C38e and C42e, the energy is stored in an 18.2 kWh battery pack as standard and can be expanded with two additional battery packs if desired. This should enable a range of over 50 nautical miles in pure electric mode. The C46e comes with two battery packs as standard.
Those who opt for a hybrid solution with a generator can significantly increase the range of their yachts
For even greater independence at sea, a generator can be added on request. According to the shipyard, this hybrid drive system will increase the range of a C38e to 576 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 5.5 knots.
“We spent a long time looking for an alternative drive solution for our C-Line that fits with the DNA of BAVARIA YACHTS,” says Norbert Leifeld, Bavaria COO. The system should be “sustainable, high-quality, modularly expandable, and easy to use in practice.”
With EPTechnologies, they have now found a partner with whom they can take this “step into the future.” Sailing is a sustainable sport, and they have now been able to make it even more sustainable.
