Taking place at the INTERBOOT in Friedrichshafen, a high-level panel discussion took place with participation of Robert Marx, President of EBI and other industry leaders. It shone a spotlight on the vision of climate-neutral boating on Lake Constance, with 2040 as the target date for net zero given by the International Lake Constance Conference (IBK). Together with Maria Bouillet (Bouillet Energy) and Hans Roelants (Sea Ray/Brunswick), Rober Marx took to the stage alongside Baden-Württemberg’s Transport Minister Winfried Herrmann and Nils Hagemeister from Fraunhofer CML, to debate the fastest and most effective ways to reach this ambitious goal.  

Several important findings emerged from the conversations: 

• Embracing technology openness will accelerate progress, and while some boating applications are ready for electric engines, some still face challenges. 

• Without targeted funding and the establishment of a comprehensive infrastructure for alternative fuels and charging infrastructure around the lake, the necessary transformation will be too slow. 

• Instead of bans, it is important to consider incentives, infrastructure measures, and a clear EU-wide approach with Lake Constance as a model region. 

A call was made for greater political support to help accelerate this process—ensuring that the industry remains at the forefront of both innovation and sustainability. EBI together with its members VMWD (Germany) and SBV (Switzerland) will continue to be closely involved in the developments around decarbonisation of Lake Constance to work collaboratively with policy-makers.