Electric boat show:what the three days dedicated to sustainable boating left us

News, tests (on water) and a conference schedule full of ideas.Objective, to reflect on the role of electric mobility in water and on the road.

Three days full of meetings, news, tests and simulations, all enriched by a conference schedule at which speakers representing companies, universities, bodies, associations and institutions took turns, giving rise to stimulating food for thought.This is the proposal for the third edition of Ebs – Electric boat show which in Laveno Mombello, on the shores of Lake Maggiore, gave citizens and tourists a three-day event dedicated to sustainable mobility with a focus on nautical And tourism.An event, strongly desired by the organizers after the last successful edition held at the Idroscalo in Milan, returned with numerous ideas, to satisfy fans of the genre and make those who have not yet done so reflect on the importance of electric mobility, in all its declinations.

Electric boat show:the contribution of electric mobility on aquatic ecosystems

With the contribution of the Municipality of Laveno Mombello and the Varese Chamber of Commerce and the patronage of the Lombardy Region, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, the third edition of the Ebs – Electric boat show, hosted for the first time by Lake Maggiore, wanted to make a point on the importance of protecting the environment, the health of citizens, and the opportunities offered by the electric transition of mobility applied to boating.

The numerous visitors were able to see and try out some of the solutions offered by 2 and 4 wheel electric mobility, together with new tools and technologies to support navigation with low environmental impact suitable not only for the sea but also for navigation on rivers, canals and lakes:the examples of have aroused much curiosity among the public aquatic micromobility, such as motorbikes and water bicycles, surf and paddle boards, pedal boats, as well as electric, hybrid, solar and hydrogen marine propulsion systems.

“We feel very satisfied with the outcome of the event, a positive response from exhibitors, speakers and institutions which gives us energy and confirms that this is the right direction to take.Ebs's goal again this year", explained the organizer Paola Brancati, Ebs director and sole director of Paeda & associates, “was achieved:bring to the attention of operators and institutions the important role of electric mobility in all its forms as a tool for change".

A quality event created to make people reflect on the relationship between water and the electricity transition

A rich schedule that emerged from this 2024 edition, which collected the experiences of previous editions and further enriched them.The formula has in fact allowed the public on the one hand to access numerous test drive of the boats made available by the shipyards present and, on the other hand, also thanks to the commitment of the municipal administration, the university world and the supporting sponsors, to participate in a series of meetings and round tables, moments which also saw the participation of LifeGate.

Meetings that saw the involvement of Roberto Sposini, journalist and Chief mobility editor LifeGate, as moderator of the conference on sustainable tourism, in which local utilities linked to the use of resources such as the Alfa Varese aqueduct, the academic world with the contribution of the Department of Economics ofUniversity of Insubria and corporate entities linked to the world of tourism discussed the positivity and criticality of a territory which sees tourism in strong and constant growth, with repercussions also on the environmental impacts connected to transport (the contribution of the cycle tourism, also favored by the growing offer of e-bikes on the territory) e housing choices.

The Water Defenders Alliance at the Electric boat show

Still in the conference part, Lajal Andreoletti, Head of environmental projects LifeGate, retraced the stages of Water Defenders Alliance, from the birth in 2018 of the first LifeGate project aimed at water health with the aim of combating plastic pollution, and then expanding the challenge, starting last year, "including two other major problems that threaten the health of our waters :pollution from accidental oil spills and the fragility of our habitats due to anthropic pressures", explained Andreoletti.Among the aspects reiterated during the presentation of the project, the importance of team up (hence the concept of alliance), the need for a cultural change and the importance of protecting, in addition to seas and rivers, also the health of lakes, such as the Maggiore one, whose ecosystem offers us from oxygen to climate mitigation, from the prosperity of sectors such as fishing to tourism.

The role of biophilia and the benefits of connecting to nature

A theme, that of relationship between man and nature also emerged thanks to the intervention of Rita Trombin, environmental psychologist and president ofAib, Italian Academy of Biophilia, who in his speech told how the biophilia, that is, humans' innate need to connect with nature, plays a crucial role in shaping our travel experiences.An intervention that explored how the “biophilic journeys”, which combine love for nature with exploration of the world, “can bring significant benefits to human well-being and activate virtuous circles of sustainability”, concluded Trombin.