Lucietta, electric water taxi designed by Nauta, received the Honourable Mention at the ADI Compasso d’Oro Awards

Lucietta, Repower’s first purpose-built electric water taxi designed by Nauta, has received an Honourable Mention at the ADI Compasso d’Oro Awards, the world’s oldest and most authoritative design accolade promoted by ADI – Associazione per il Disegno Industriale – with the aim of celebrating excellence in Italian design.

For Repower, the award recognises the Swiss Group’s longstanding commitment to achieving the perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality through design, while combining technological innovation with environmental responsibility and sustainability.

These are values fully embodied by Lucietta, which stands as a new benchmark for electric urban mobility and as a catalyst for a more sustainable model of tourism, capable of combining environmental protection with the economic and social development of local communities.

For this reason, Lucietta returns this year to Venice’s Arsenale for the Venice Boat Show (27–31 May), where it made its debut last year, offering industry professionals, enthusiasts and the media the opportunity to experience the technology first-hand.

Lucietta follows in the footsteps of several other Repower charging and mobility solutions that have already been recognised by the Compasso d’Oro Awards. These include E-LOUNGE, the fast-charging bench for e-bikes, and the pedal-assisted cargo bikes LAMBROgio and LAMBROgino, all recipients of the prestigious Compasso d’Oro award. GIOTTO, Repower’s EV charging device, and Repowere, the company’s first electric boat, also received Honourable Mentions.

These products combine strong aesthetic appeal with functional excellence and were designed by leading studios including Antonio Lanzillo & Partners, creator of E-LOUNGE, and Makio Hasuike & Co, founded by Compasso d’Oro Career Award recipient Makio Hasuike, responsible for LAMBROgio, LAMBROgino and GIOTTO.

Lucietta, whose design was developed by Nauta and built by Cantiere Serenella in Murano, now joins the ADI Compasso d’Oro Historical Collection, which has been recognised by the Italian Ministry of Culture as being of “exceptional artistic and historical interest”.

This prestigious recognition adds to the Honourable Mention Lucietta received last year at the ADI Compasso d’Oro International Award in Osaka, where an international jury selected the vessel among projects from around the world.

With compact dimensions of 9.3 metres in length, 2.25 metres in beam and 2.1 metres in height, Lucietta is ideally suited to navigating Venice’s canals while fully exploiting the advantages of electric propulsion, starting with the significant reduction in mechanical and propulsion system volumes. Unlike traditional water taxis, Lucietta offers greater onboard space, can accommodate up to 14 passengers and is capable of operating for an entire working day without recharging.

Lucietta also represents a technological milestone for the sector thanks to the introduction of innovative materials such as recycled carbon fibre for the hull and regenerated Murano glass. Through technology developed by Rehub – a Murano-based start-up and winner of the 2023 Repower Special Innovation Award – this glass can now be successfully recycled.

“Lucietta is a jewel of the boating sector, and especially of electric navigation. We are extremely proud of this latest recognition, which confirms that our sustainable mobility ecosystem successfully combines functionality and technology with a strong focus on beauty and design,” commented Fabio Bocchiola, CEO of Repower Italia. “We firmly believe that design and technological innovation are essential elements of the mobility of the future. In this sense, Lucietta is part of a broader project supporting the transition towards sustainable tourism. Its return to the Venice Boat Show reflects this vision: promoting a mobility model that responds to the need to protect the environment, local communities and our country’s cultural heritage.”

“The dimensions of Venetian water taxis are dictated by the city itself – its canals, bridges and mooring points. As a result, height, beam and length must comply with extremely precise constraints,” said Massimo Gino of Nauta. “Starting from a detailed study of the original drawings of historic water taxis and extensive discussions with Venetian taxi operators, we identified the key elements on which to focus in designing the electric water taxi of the new millennium. Repower’s Lucietta is a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional Venetian taxi, featuring stylistic elements inspired by electric vehicles that make its sustainable soul instantly recognisable.”

Repower will exhibit at the Venice Boat Show in Piazzale della Campanella (stand C23), while Lucietta will be displayed at Pontoon P2 (berth 208).