Going green afloat

At boot Düsseldorf 2013, environment-friendly drives and boats equipped with such drives will be showing their colours. Electric motors driven with power from plug sockets or solar cells now rank as the technologies of the future along with hybrid drives and fuel cells. Though still short of the ranges achievable with petrol and diesel engines, electric boats are at least capable of speeds as high as 60 km/h. The first steps have been taken.

Electric motors
There is a long tradition of boats with electric motors on southern German and Austrian lakes. This may be because boats with internal combustion engines are banned there completely – or at least outside the summer season. Only 30 years ago, electric motors led a marginal existence and were only employed in those areas where motoring with a diesel or petrol engine was prohibited. Thanks to advances in technology, this has now changed and powerful electric motors that can hold their own with 80 hp petrol-driven outboards are meanwhile available.

One of these is the Deep Blue from Torqeedo (Halle/Stand 10/E 40) in Gilching with 55 kW input power. Until now Torqeedo’s portfolio ended in the 8 hp class. For the Deep Blue, lithium batteries from the automotive industry have undergone further development for marine applications, and a service life of nine years is claimed for them. Since the cost of batteries is independent of the intensity of their use, purchasing suitable lithium ion battery banks from 26 to 52 kWh (roughly EUR 28,000 to 56,000) for the Deep Blue is worthwhile above all for commercial users like boat hirers. Since the Deep Blue has a high-voltage system producing 325 V DC, it is initially only being sold through boat makers who install the system during production.

Torqueedo Deep Blue - most powerful electric outboard motor

Oceanvolt from Finland (Hall/Stand 11/A 17) has electric motors with saildrive in its product range intended for inboard use in sailing yachts. Their input power ranges from 3.7 to 15 kW. Depending on the number of lithium ion batteries – recommended are two to eight – the manufacturer quotes maximum motoring time of up to ten hours at displacement speed. The other suppliers of inboard electric motors include Kräutler in Austria (Hall/Stand 10/G 78).