Fischer Panda at Ocean Race Europe

The race begins long before the starting gun. With the selection of components. With the planning of systems. With decisions that cannot be corrected once you are out at sea.

In Kiel, this becomes visible. In the harbour, between open hatches, final adjustments and brief exchanges. Performance and precision are not promises here – they are prerequisites. In this environment, Fischer Panda joined forces with MOLABO and Gleistein at the start of Ocean Race Europe to demonstrate how maximum performance and minimum environmental impact can be combined in one working system. Not as a vision. As lived practice aboard the Seaexplorer – Malizia.

Three partners. One system.

When we were invited into the Malizia Tech Tent, it quickly became clear what this was about. Not individual products, but how they work together. MOLABO contributes the ARIES i50 electric motor – for control and emission-free operation in harbour, in sensitive situations and in emergencies. Fischer Panda provides the backbone of the energy supply with the AGT 11000 generator – compact, quiet, HVO-compatible, active whenever wind and solar are not enough. Gleistein ensures that tactics can be translated into movement with 62 colour-coded high-performance lines.

Only in combination does technology become a resilient system. Robust enough for offshore racing. Efficient and sustainable enough for modern yacht sport.

The backbone of the energy supply

At the heart of the Seaexplorer – Malizia sits the Fischer Panda AGT 11000. Not a visible statement, but a deliberate choice for reliability. The generator charges the Solid State Marine batteries when renewable energy sources onboard are insufficient. These power the MOLABO ARIES i50 – the drive for harbour manoeuvres and safety or emergency situations.

The generator is not an isolated product. It is the backbone of a continuous energy architecture.

IMOCA class rules require every yacht to be able to move independently at a minimum of 5 knots. The electric motor meets this requirement – and is simultaneously a central safety element. After leaving harbour, it is sealed. Only in a genuine emergency, following authorisation from race management, may it be unsealed. Four permanently installed onboard cameras record the entire process.

Boris Herrmann puts it simply: "If that seal is broken, you better have a very good explanation when you cross the finish line."

Advantages that count

Hybridisation in offshore racing has to prove itself. In weight, consumption and flexibility. The numbers speak for themselves.

The Ocean Race Europe configuration is 40 kg lighter than a conventional 45 hp combustion engine installation in the IMOCA class. Fuel consumption is up to 50 % lower than a conventional diesel generator. HVO can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 90 % compared to fossil diesel. Looking ahead to the Vendée Globe, the same approach can be taken further: a total weight advantage of around 150 kg over a diesel installation is achievable – 111 kg through reduced diesel volume and a smaller tank, the remainder through the lower weight of the electric motor.

Over thousands of nautical miles, that is not a detail. It is a genuine performance factor.

Technology as team effort

The days in Kiel demonstrated that progress at sea does not come from individual innovations – but from cleanly integrated systems. The hybrid solution aboard the Seaexplorer – Malizia is more than a race configuration. It is a proven, adaptable platform for any application where performance, reliability and sustainability belong together.

And the answer to the obvious question: in most cases, yes – the modular design of Fischer Panda hybrid systems allows individual solutions for a wide variety of yachts and commercial vessels.