Innovation at sea

Marine innovation

Powered by passion for the ocean and marine innovation. We exist to make the water accessible to everyone – from the seasoned captains to those who just raised anchor. Our team designs solutions with intuitiveness and ease in their DNA. So you can greet the sea in total control.

Man looking up inteo the dark sky next to a white wall

Person in red jacket looking out over the sea in slight sunshine

We welcome boat owners and operators, boat builders and partners, into our innovation process. We encourage their feedback as we develop concepts with customer needs in mind, and people at the heart.

Close up of centre of silver coloured duoprop propeller

Marine innovation – Volvo Penta IPS

The innovation that became a propulsion revolution

Bigger. Faster. People’s desire for marine innovation and a boat with ‘extra everything’ is constant. But bigger boats require bigger engines, thus counteracting the additional power being created. To solve this paradox, we developed the concept of a rudderless, direct-drive system with individually steerable forward-facing dual counter-rotating propellers. This would be known as the Inboard Performance System – IPS. Launched in 2005, Volvo Penta IPS set a whole new standard, and still remains unrivalled.

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Aerial view of powerboat docking sideways in a harbour

Marine innovation – Assisted Docking

The next generation of marine automation

In 2018, we revealed a self-docking yacht concept to the boating world – an idea so groundbreaking it ignited the industry. However, the market wasn’t ready for full-on automation just yet. So we adapted the technology based on consumer, partner, and other stakeholder input. It was an integral part of the process in turning concept into a ready-made product available for global use. And in 2021, it was finally launched: Assisted Docking – the world’s first fully integrated docking system. It allows you to defy the elements by removing the dynamics of wind and current, as well as maneuver in tight spaces, enabling safe and easy boat docking in challenging conditions.

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We’re lucky we didn’t realize it’s impossible to do what we eventually did.

— Lennart Arvidsson, Volvo Penta engineer, on the creation of Volvo Penta IPS

Right hand gripping joystick in powerboat

Marine innovation – Joystick Control

Enhance your skill level instantly

We knew our customers wanted a new kind of seamless, intuitive control and our joystick – first established in 2006 – is a game changer. Integrating directly with your boat’s propulsion system’s individually-steerable drives and the Volvo Penta Electronic Vessel Control system, the joystick offers unrivalled precision and control at a tap. Take on complicated maneuvers, docking and driving with total confidence, whatever your experience. This is beautifully simple technology designed for a beautifully simple boating experience. Our joystick technology is continuously updated to ensure you enjoy a seamless and more intuitive boating experience.

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Left hand touching on green field on screen

Marine innovation – Electric Driver Interface

Iterating the interface of the future

In 2019, we revealed an electric saildrive concept that included a uniquely developed electric driver interface. Created with boating behaviors in mind, the interface aimed to make boating easier and more intuitive. After the reveal, we invited over 100 stakeholders to test the electric driver interface, studied their behaviors while using it, and captured their input and feedback on the interface. This helped further strengthen the concept and enabled us to develop its next generation, based on the feedback we gathered and the learnings we acquired. And now, a successor of this concept is being deployed in the market – in the Hurtigruten hybrid-electric vessel. Its interface is based on our learnings from testing the earlier concept in collaboration with customers, and is now in operation in the Arctic.

Aerial view of Volvo Penta's test centre at Krossholmen, Sweden

Man holding paper in left hand looking up into a streak of light

Man piloting large vessel, interior photograph

Designed by boaters, for boaters

No solution reaches your hands before being extensively tested by real people in real conditions – ensuring our products are safe and easy to use. Our Krossholmen testing facility in Sweden is one of the largest of its kind in the world, and is operational year round in all weather. In a typical year, our experts test over 5,000 hours and cover more than 40,000 nautical miles. This is done to ensure our solutions are efficient and reliable – even in the roughest of conditions.