Ecobonus boat engine 2025, you have until May 8. How to get it

As you may know until May 8, there is an opportunity to use state incentives dedicated to boating to refurbish old heat engines in our boats and their tenders to replace them with modern electric motors. To simplify, the motor ecobonus.

Who is eligible for the ecobonus boat engine 2025

Only those of propulsion, power between 0.5 and 12 Kw outboard and inboard types are covered by the measure. Small outboards with an integrated battery can count for up to €2,000 in contributions, while all those with an external battery can count for up to €10,000. Individuals will be able to apply for up to two engines, up to a total contribution of €8,000, while businesses up to €50,000 for multiple engines. The grant is in the form of a non-repayable contribution and up to a maximum of 50 percent of eligible expenses.

How to apply

To apply for the ecobonus for a boat engine, one must access the INVITALIA Desk and there is time until noon on May 8, 2025. Invitalia handles applications for subsidies provided for the purchase of electric motors or the scrapping of marine engines.

Ecobonus boat engine, why it may be worth it

Both because of the way the so-called “electric bonus” was formulated and because of purely technical issues, incentives to replace thermal engines, at the yachting level, are much more inviting to the sailing world than to the motor world. The reason is related to the now overwhelming prevalence of planing hulls in the motor market, for which a good power-to-weight ratio is critical. And battery technology, in this respect, has yet to make significant strides for it to be an economically attractive path. For sailing, however, the opposite is true: most boats, especially watercraft, are displacement hulls that need little power and do not suffer too much from the weight of a battery pack. Not to mention the space benefits on board, given the compactness of these solutions. So what better opportunity to refurbish old and obsolete engines?

Ecobonus boat engine 2025, DCI needed. How to get it

To access the above bonus, it is necessary to submit the DCI (Declaration of Construction or Importation) of the boat to which you want to replace the old heat engine with an electric one. The DCI is a kind of identity card of the boat that contains its essential data printed on a sheet of paper, which can be requested online at the dedicated portal of Confindustria Nautica.

But what to do about those vessels that do not have CE marking or, even, any kind of document? Situation that is anything but rare when it comes to the tenders, small vessels, perhaps with a few years on their shoulders. Either because they are old, children of an era when not everything needed a certificate in triplicate, and so they never had it, or because it was lost, perhaps in previous changes of ownership. In this case, there is the possibility of submitting a self-declaration of non-possession of technical documents, and then filling out the form in which the unit’s data are requested. The paperwork costs about 30 euros.

DCI, why it is useful

This document, the DCI, is becoming increasingly in demand, not only for obtaining incentives for electric motors, but also for new registrations for the purpose of issuing a navigation license, entry in the Telematics Archive, renewal or validation of a safety certificate or certificate of eligibility for chartering, and attestation of ownership and nationality of vessels to navigate in foreign national waters.

And many other uses that you can find on the dedicated portal (link: https://dci.confindustrianautica.net/).

Given the widespread use of this document, perhaps it may be worthwhile to request a certificate of competence issued by a Technical Body in lieu of self-certification. We took RINA as a reference. Costs clearly vary depending on the type of unit, but we were asked for 500 euros plus tax for the inspection of a 7-meter(here is the quote we were given). But further variations can be attributed to the area of Italy you are in versus their inspectors, or depending on whether the boat is on dry land or in the water.