BMW teams up with Slovenian maker for high-tech electric SUP

SipaBoards, a Slovenian maker of electric-powered stand-up paddle boards, has partnered with German automotive giant BMW in developing a new generation of self-inflating SUPs with a more advanced jet engine and longer autonomy.

The new BMW x SipaBoards Electric SUP was presented as BMW launched a global promotional campaign for its new Neue Klasse iX3 electric car, which will be launched on the market in April and includes the electric SUP Sipaboards in its co-branding, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

Designed by BMW Group Designworks, the SUP has a silent 300-watt electric jet engine that propels the it to speeds of up to 4 knots or 7.5 km/h.

It connects to a mobile app that allows the users to plan their route, monitor the battery life and use phone GPS tracking.

When the paddle drops into the water, the jet engine automatically stops.

"We've elevated the idea of safety on water to a new level," said the Slovenian company's founder and CEO Sebastjan Sitar.

This is the first time BMW has offered an electrically powered product designed for water sports, which "opens up a new chapter in riding pleasure in the process," BMW said in a press release.

SipaBoards got its start in 2015, when it launched on Kickstarter as the world's first self-inflating jet propelled SUP. Since 2022 it has been part of the Boscarol group of the Slovenian aviation pioneer Ivo Boscarol.

"For me, electric mobility has always been a key step towards a sustainable future, and I am delighted that BMW now also supports our idea of an electric lifestyle on water," Boscarol was quoted as saying.

Boscarol had founded ultralight aircraft maker Pipistrel in 1989, but sold it to the US aviation company Textron in 2022.