Riva El-Iseo is the legendary boat builder’s first fully-electric motor yacht

After more than 180 years’ perfecting the art of boat building, revered Italian manufacturer Riva Yacht has launched the Riva El-Iseo, the company’s first all-electric motor yacht. Now owned by the Ferretti Group, along with Pershing, CRN, Wally, Custom Line and more, Riva first showed the prototype El-Iseo at Monaco in 2022.

The customer-ready boat, shown here, has been designed by the firm’s regular collaborators, Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta, founders of Officina Italiana Design. It’s a classically elegant shape, albeit with an entirely new design for the deck, cockpit and helm station, and a new hull colour for the company, California Sky Blue. This colour complements the familiar aquamarine ‘beauty line’ that can be seen just above the waterline and is found on all Riva boats, past and present (examples of which are overwintered and maintained in Monaco’s Riva Tunnel).

Riva El-Iseo electric motor yacht: the greening of conspicuous consumption

At 8.4m (27ft) and a maximum beam of 2.5m, El-Iseo is finished with the familiar polished mahogany deck and stern platform, with stainless steel details and deck equipment. It’s closely related to the conventionally powered Iseo model, sold alongside the classic Aquariva model. The helm station has a fully digital dashboard with two touchscreen displays providing charts and battery status, while the rest of the cockpit is beautifully trimmed and furnished for guests to lounge, swim and eat.

Under the hull is a high-energy-density lithium battery pack, driving a Parker GVM310 full electric engine from American manufacturer Parker Hannifin. This gives the El-Iseo a top speed of 40 knots and a cruising speed of 25 knots, as well as much swifter acceleration than a conventionally-powered equivalent. Like an electric car, the 150 kWh battery pack can be fast charged, with Riva suggesting a 20 to 80 per cent charge can be achieved in 75 minutes.

Power can be delivered through three different cruising modes, Adagio, Andante and Allegro. The first is for the most economical use of power, with a limited top speed of five knots and the ability to spend up to ten hours pottering about between bays with zero sound or emissions. Andante mode lifts the maximum speed to 25 knots, while Allegro is the all-out maximum sporting mode. Should you drop below 20 per cent charge while out on the water, the boat will automatically enter Adagio mode to preserve your chances of getting home without running out of power.

The electric boating scene is still confined to high-end, small-scale powerboats, and Riva’s innovation is a welcome step in the greening of conspicuous consumption. Next step, time to electrify that most profligate all modes of transport, the superyacht.

Riva El-Iseo, price on application, Riva-Yacht.com, @RivaYacht