Only flying is nicer

Yachting | 2024

With THE ICON, BMW and Tyde present the first battery-powered watercraft of its kind, combining emission-free travel with luxurious design. With a length of 13.15 metres and a top speed of 30 knots (or 55 km/h), THE ICON’s blazing speed is made possible by an ingredient from the yachting world of recent years: hydrofoils. THE ICON takes off, so to speak, to reduce energy requirements by about 80 percent compared to a conventional hull.

Foiling technology allows THE ICON to ride on wings below the water level while the hull floats above the water surface. 100-kW electric motors provide propulsion, while THE ICON draws its 240 kWh of energy from six batteries. A range of Hebt THE ICON auf ihren Foils ab, gleitet die Yacht vollkommen ruhig über das Meer. More than 50 nautical miles is very decent for such a 10-ton format.

THE ICON’s design was created by Designworks, a subsidiary of the BMW Group with studios in Los Angeles, Munich and Shanghai. Its ties to automotive design are unmistakable: THE ICON’s superstructure opens to a width of 4.50 metres at the rear before tapering to a semi-pointed tip that evokes the shape of a flat hull, while geometric lines curve around the yacht’s body.

Inspired by origami, entering THE ICON and its kaleidoscopic design, paired with expansive windows and fine fabrics and reflective surfaces, is like entering another world.