Electric Catamaran Pol Lux Turns Into Camper at Night, the Perfect Adventure Craft

An “adventure craft icon” is the exact phrasing from Pol Boat regarding the recently-unveiled Pol Lux, but maybe calling it an “icon” when it’s not even out is a bit of a stretch. The idea is that Pol Lux, a catamaran that can turn into a camper at night, could be such an icon – in theory, at least.

Private yacht ownership has seen a shift towards more sustainability and increased efficiency, thanks to all-electric catamarans from the likes of Alva Yachts, Sunreef Yachts, and Silent Yachts. The twin-hull of a catamaran brings a slew of benefits over a single-hull, including more stability and speed, maximized efficiency thanks to less friction, and a bigger footprint to be customized to suit a variety of needs.

The Pol Lux uses the twin-hull approach, but on a reduced scale. This is not a yacht, but a motorized boat – with a twist, in that it can become a camper at night, or a small, short-distance cargo ship, or even a floating party venue. This way, Pol Boat is thinking outside the box to create “an adventure craft that can take you off the beaten path, transporting you via a fully electrified drivetrain, leaving nothing between you and nature.”

This adventure craft is nothing short of a floating platform on top of a twin hull. Said platform is described as fully modular, which is one way of saying Pol Boat won’t offer a single layout but allow customers to furnish it according to their needs. Choose an L-shaped bench, and you get a picnic venue on the water. Add a tent on top of the fixed steel structure, and you have a tent that offers shelter from the elements and insects. Strip everything off, and you get a mini-barge you can haul goods in over short distances.

Despite its name, Pol Lux is anything but luxe, and it’s this spartan spec that aims to be its biggest selling point. When you can have something that could be whatever you want it to be, that’s pure luxury. When that something can also provide you with endless days (and nights) of adventure out on the water, you might never want to return home.

Pol Lux has a total length of 7.8 meters (25.5 feet) and is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) wide. The maximum capacity on board the Pol Lux is for eight people, but we reckon that number can vary according to the final layout. In camper mode, for instance, it doesn’t look like it would be comfortable for more than three people, who would be sleeping on the converted bed from the benches and the additional bunk you can strap from the steel poles.

The only fixed element in the layout of the self-draining platform is the captain’s steering station, around which everything else can be re-arranged and moved around. Renders show a basic kitchen with a portable grill or oven, a cutting board, and a foldable table. No word on what would serve as a restroom, but it’s probably safe to assume a portable solution is involved.

The Pol Lux is fully-electric, with no specifics offered on the powertrain. Pol Boat says that the estimated range would be 60 nautical miles (69 miles / 111 km) at a cruising speed of 7 knots (8 mph / 13 kph), while maximum speed would be 12 knots (13.8 mph / 22.2 kph), both of which are decent considering the proposed use for the watercraft.

However, since range anxiety is still a thing, Pol Boat has fitted the Pol Lux with solar panels, which would allow this basic watercraft virtually unlimited range if a strict set of conditions were met. On solar power only, the cat would be even slower, topping out at 4 knots (4.6 mph / 7.4 kph).

“Pol Lux addresses the needs of a new generation of boat owners that love to explore the great outdoors,” cofounder Jonas Samrelius says, as cited by New Atlas. “Heading out over the weekend with full batteries, they have prioritized the silence and the journey itself over high speed, pleased about leaving no trails behind.”

Pol Lux has no pricing as of the time of press, but the same media outlet reports that the first production vessels are under construction. The first round of test rides will take place this spring, with the first units to be delivered in the following months. In other words, if your shopping list includes a boat slash camper with an all-electric powertrain, you won’t have to wait that much longer for the full details.