The maritime high-tech start-up Edorado B.V. is working on the development of fast electric sailing for consumers.
Thanks to a number of investors, Edorado has now opened an assembly hall at the Sustainability Factory ("Duurzaamheidsfabriek") in Dordrecht, the Netherlands. At the opening, the company also presented its water taxi design.
The Dordrecht alderman of Economic Affairs, Maarten Burggraaf, opened the assembly hall. 'It is an important step for our region and just like the investors, I believe in the future of this innovative company. […] Edorado is also an excellent fit in our maritime region that has a lot of experienced companies. This allows an innovative start-up to develop quickly here.'
Edorado 8S
In the assembly hall, the company's first flag ship is currently being built, the Edorado 8S. This fully electrically powered boat sets new standards in terms of sustainability, comfort and sailing experience.
Fast-sailing Electric Platform
The scalable technical platform developed by Edorado can be used for both pleasure craft and the professional market, such as water taxis. The active hydrofoils form the basis for the boats. This technology is being developed in close cooperation with Harry Larsen, who is an expert in the field of active hydrofoils. Besides the boats, the company also provides a matching quick loading solution.
Towards 3000 Boats a Year
Edorado was founded by two experienced entrepreneurs, Giel Groothuis and Godert van Hardenbroek. Together they combine both a technical and design background with experience in international business. The development team has now expanded considerably. 'The first boat will be launched this year with trials with customers planned for 2020. Series production will start immediately after that,' says Groothuis.
'The world market for fully electric fast sailing is worth tens of billions of euros a year,' says Van Hardenbroek. 'It is our ambition to produce 250 boats a year in a few years, with a planned increase in production volume to 3000 boats in the years to come.'
So far, 24 boats have been ordered in advance. The company has already found a distributor in America and is working on a global sales and service network as well as a maritime supercharger network. The first maritime fast charging station is to open later this year.
Sustainability Factory
Edorado has established itself in the Sustainability Factory in Dordrecht, the centre for open innovation and sustainable technical developments. The company has chosen for the Drechtsteden region because of its unique ecosystem of maritime manufacturing industry.
