JOOOL is the name of a new turnkey hybrid and electric propulsion system for sailing yachts. It was developed and manufactured in France by the team behind Alternatives Energies, who have over 25 years of expertise in marine electrification.
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The three boats with JOOOL at La Grand Motte International Multihull Show:
- Fountaine Pajot Aura 51: the largest non-flybridge sailing catamaran in the Fountaine Pajot range
- Leopard C46: one of Sail Magazine’s Top Ten Best Boats in 2025
- Yacht Concept Day One 80: A hybrid 80-foot day charter yacht sailing 100% electric in the protected Calanques region near Marseilles.
Smart electric propulsion and onboard system
Each vessel is equipped with JOOOL’s full onboard energy system with 25 kW (≈35 hp) electric hydrogenerating POD motors. At the core is the OneBox, a smart, compact energy management and conversion unit that integrates every onboard energy source and output: battery, solar, wind, hydrogeneration, gensets and shore power. It oversees and controls not only the propulsion system in real time, but also all energy use, with easy to read monitor interfaces.
While the JOOOL name and branding is new, the system itself is not. It has been installed on over 100 vessels worldwide, from dayboats to long-range catamarans to electric ferries to the French Navy’s first battery-powered surface vessel.
Alternatives Energies was founded in 1997 after winning the European Solar Boat Challenge. They outfitted their first project the next year, a 100% electric passenger boat in La Rochelle.
Since then they acted as an integrator on dozens of projects, largely electric and solar passenger boats, all of which have proven their durability and the economies of electric propulsion.
Installed on over 100 vessels
The Bernard Palissy III solar-electric sightseeing boat in France was launched in 2018 and carries about 15,000 people each summer on cruises along the Riviere Charente in Cognac. The Aditya solar electric ferry in Kerala, India carries about 580,000 people each year – a total of over 4.5 million since its inaugural voyage in 2017.
The Aditya was a winner of the first Gustave Trouvé International Electric Boat Awards in 2020 and the all-electric version of the Fountaine Pajot Aura 51 at La Grand Motte won the Electric Sailboats category in 2024.
Electric propulsion is becoming increasingly popular with sailors, probably because two of the reasons they prefer sailboats over power is the fresh, smoke-free air and the absence of motor noise. Two things that electric propulsion can provide if a motor does have to be turned on.
The JOOOL system adds to the range of motor options available for medium sized sailboats and for smaller daysailers there are plenty of electric outboards available.
It was only in 2021 that the Arcona 415 became the first sailing yacht to offer electric propulsion as standard. Others have followed, and the number of yachts with electric as an option is increasing by the month. One of the advantages of JOOOL for OEMs and shipyards is that the system is fully modular and pre-configured, offering a single-source solution. So, welcome, JOOOL to the electric club, nice to have you aboard!
See the Plugboats Buying Guides to Electric Motors:
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