It’s a small novelty with big consequences. The very first electric riverboat will sail on the Seine, under the Vedettes de Paris banner. “The fruit of innovation and French expertise, this first 100% electric retrofitted boat, which represents a world first, opens the way for more responsible and desirable travel,” welcomes the group with 800,000 travelers per year, which has just received the first of its cruise ships, after its thermal engine was replaced by an electric motor.
An adventure launched in 2021, the day after the Covid-19 health crisis, while the general director of Vedettes de Paris, Marie Bozzoni, participated in the Business Convention for the Climate (CEC). “I found myself there by chance, and I took a big beating. Because I thought that my activity was safe from all these considerations, that instead of 31 degrees in Paris, it would be 33 or that floods only occur in the low season, far from our peak of activity,” says the woman who then asked herself: “what is the value of a healthy river?”
Faced with this observation, its “first reaction” was to choose to “retrofit” its fleet of boats, some of which were already running on electric diesel. “This had never been done, we knew that it was in principle feasible, but we knew nothing about the technical details,” explains the woman, who recalls that the combustion of her cruise ships represents “50% of her carbon footprint.” For Vedettes de Paris, two challenges: that of saving on the carbon impact of boats, and that of saving, ultimately, on the diesel bill. “On the other hand, the boats had to be immobilized for the duration of their transformation,” recognizes the director of the group.
This is why she decided to make this change in stages. In autumn 2021, in-depth studies will begin, with the aim of taking into account the significant weight of the batteries, while improving the hydrodynamics of the hull. After six months of studies, a call for tenders was launched for construction to begin in November 2022. Won by Actemium, a subsidiary of Vinci Energies, it enabled the launch of a 100% French project. In total, no less than twelve months of work were necessary to transform the battery and engine energy pack, as well as the hull and steering gear.
Next on the list? Two other boats – out of a fleet of five – have already been under construction since November 2023, and should be ready for the high season, in April and May. A fourth should be transformed during the winter of 2024/2025. As for the fifth and last, not sure if it is part of the same project. “We are starting to think about opening up to other technologies, why not hydrogen?” proudly says Marie Bozzoni, who, without a bad pun, is overflowing with energy to imagine the Vedettes de Paris of tomorrow.
A strategic choice in light of the organization of the Olympic Games this summer in Paris? “Not at all” replies the person concerned, for whom the decision was made well before the event became a reality, but whose boats were indeed requisitioned to transport the athletes during the opening ceremony. However, his group clearly displays the ambition “to have a majority of a 100% electric fleet on the sidelines of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and to revolutionize tourism by placing sustainability as the core value of its mission”. “Beyond the fact that our boats are electric, I think people will come especially because the experience on board is completely transformed (…) There is no noise, no smell, and no vibration, visitors leave much more peaceful than before. It’s really a completely different and quite unique experience, even better than a sailing boat,” says Marie Bozzoni.
A tempting invitation on paper, but be careful, those who only want to board this electric model will have to be patient before the entire fleet is converted. For the moment, it is not possible to know in advance whether you can board the only electric model. To be sure to board this one and not another, the group’s CEO “advises you to call in advance”. Hoping that the boat departure time coincides with the schedule of the person interested.
