Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard FD July August September 2023

Simrad Yachting and Cantieri Nautici Vizianello collaborate on sustainable water taxi transport

by Simrad 13 Jan 2022 03:32 PST
Hybrid taxi for Venice © Simrad

Simrad Yachting and Venetian-boat builder Cantieri Nautici Vizianello have collaborated on innovation to create a new generation of water taxi that promises to revolutionize transport in the city of Venice and contribute to environmental sustainability.

Working together, Simrad Yachting and Vizianello - a shipyard that is an historical institution of the Venetian lagoon and the Italian shipbuilding industry - have combined their skills to make the famous water limousines more performing, less impactful on the environment and therefore more suitable for navigation in the Serenissima.

After years of research, Cantieri Nautici Vizianello have offered an answer to a problem that has long affected the lagoon transport: the harmful emissions of diesel engines and noise pollution, finding a reliable partner in Simrad® electronics.

Thanks to the collaboration of these two companies, the most famous of Vizianello's water limousines Amore, chosen as an exclusive means of transport in the city of Venice by Hollywood stars, has been given a new life. This 9-meter water limousine - whose external lines remain faithful to the classic and elegant design of the mahogany taxi boats - has been equipped with a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system managed by the Simrad® Command integration system capable of monitoring both the endothermic engine and the electric one.

The Venetian shipyard, which has been in business for over 50 years, has also worked closely with the public transport authority and Venezia Turismo to develop eco-friendly propulsion systems to create this boat.

"We started producing the first hybrid systems in 2010, which we've modified and tested until we arrive at the present day where we install them on much smaller boats, such as the luxury Venetian tenders or water taxis," says Moreno Vizianello, CEO of the shipyard. "This was when the very important collaboration with Venezia Turismo started and, above all, with Simrad Yachting, who helped us develop systems for managing all the data."

The hybrid propulsion system on-board Amore represents a true revolution for the city of Venice. The removal of noise and emissions is a great advantage for passengers, but also for the city's residents. The hybrid system includes a diesel engine that can run independently or in combination with a 30kW electric motor and a 23kW battery pack. In fully electric mode, the boat has an autonomy of about one hour at 6-7 knots which allows navigation with zero emissions and no noise, ideal for short trips through the historic center of Venezia. For longer journeys, the diesel engine automatically switches on and at the same time re-charges the battery pack.

Amore is equipped with the Simrad® Command control system which, thanks to a user-friendly interface, allows the monitoring and management of on-board utilities. Command is also fully customisable, as it is possible to choose whether to integrate one or all of the boat's utilities, as is the case, for example, on Avanti, Vizianello's modern hybrid luxury water taxi, created in collaboration with the Venetian design studio Nuvolari Lenard, which features full integration of all the equipment and functions on board, from propulsion and power management to lighting and co-pilot hardware.

"The collaboration between Vizianello Shipyard and Simrad Yachting is a perfect example of how our Command system can be used to display all the information of complex systems," says Roberto Sesenna, Simrad's Country Manager in Italy. "We have integrated the on-board system of the shipyard's luxury taxis within our displays for their captains, enabling technology that can help protect the ecosystem of the Venice lagoon."

For more information on Simrad® electronics, visit www.simrad-yachting.com.

Related Articles

SailGP: Spain win in New York - Day 2
Diego Botin's Spanish crew scraped into the Final, and then took their second successive SailGP win. The Spanish crew led by Diego Botin staged a comeback in the last race after losing an 8pt lead to squeeze into the Final, only taking the lead halfway through the three boat Final. Full race replay here. Posted today at 12:38 am
Loro Piana Giraglia day 2
The mistral day! Right on schedule, the Mistral swept into the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, starting at 20 knots in the morning and building to over 30 by early afternoon. Posted on 8 Jun
40th Annapolis-to-Newport Race day 2
Rainstorms clear in time for start An hour before the start of the 40th biennial Annapolis-to-Newport Race, a massive storm front swept over Annapolis. It steadily grew darker and more ominous as boats motored towards the starting area for the mandatory check-in with the Race Committee. Posted on 8 Jun
49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 Europeans Overall
Canadian Lewin Lafrance sisters win first major championship Georgia and Antonia Lewin Lafrance have been on the rise for the last six years, and now find themselves on top. Posted on 8 Jun
NBA Legend joins Emirates GBR
Jeremy Lamb flying high on an F50 at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix NBA Legend Jeremy Lamb joined Emirates GBR on-board their F50 race boat on Day One of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix. Lamb experienced the thrill of foiling on the 50ft catamaran race boat on the Hudson River. Posted on 8 Jun
Martin Augustus Round the Island Race Gallery
Top photos as the fleet rounded St. Catherine's Point Top yachting photographer Martin Augustus was at St. Catherine's Point to catch some of the fleet rounding the famous landmark during this year's Round the Island Race. Posted on 8 Jun
2025 Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, USA overall
A tense light-air final on the Severn River USA's women's match racing team Team Baam skippered by Allie Blecher from California won the 2025 Santa Maria Cup today, defeating Vela Racing team skippered by Nicole Breault 3-0 in a tense light-air final on the Severn River. Posted on 8 Jun
Tom Hicks Round the Island Race Photo Gallery
Stunning images from the Solent photographer out on the water Stunning photos from Solent Photographer Tom Hicks out on the water as he caught the action in the 2025 Round the Island Race on Saturday. Posted on 8 Jun
Scandinavian Gold Cup at Sopot, Poland overall
Jürg Menzi wins third on Marie-Françoise XXII Marie-Françoise XXII (SUI 233, Jürg Menzi, Jürgen Eiermann, Christof Wilke) has won the 2025 Scandinavian Gold Cup in Sopot, Poland, after the event went the full length to seven races. Posted on 8 Jun
SailGP: Final race win saves series for BlackFoils
A victory in the final fleet race of the day boosted the Black Foils into fourth after three races A victory in the final fleet race of the day boosted the Black Foils into fourth after three races on the opening day of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix. Posted on 8 Jun
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERArmstrong 728x90 - Wing FG Board Range - BOTTOM