Everything electric boats and boating

The Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo – Europe takes place June 21 – 24 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. With exhibitors and visitors from all over the world, the event is dedicated solely to showcasing the very latest and next-generation electric and hybrid marine charging and propulsion technologies, components and solutions.

A significant portion of the show is dedicated to electric, hybrid and hydrogen propulsion systems for large ships, but there will be a number of new products, announcements and other highlights from companies that provide products and systems for smaller vessels.

We’ve highlighted a few of those companies that will be exhibiting and speaking at the conference, many of whom have been covered in Plugboats before and others who have exciting new products for electric boating that will be covered more extensively in the future.

A full list of exhibitors and conference speakers can be found on the Electric & Hybrid Marine World Expo website. In addition to the Europe show, there will be a North America show taking place in November 2 and 3 in Houston, TX.

One of the biggest and most anticipated pieces of news at the show is the introduction of the new  inboard motor from ePropulsion to go along with their line of outboard and pod motors. At 100 kW (equivalent to 140HP), the H-100 is significantly more powerful than the outboard and pod range, and is engineered for larger sailing boats and motor vessels between 60 to 100’ (18-30m) with a full displacement up to 200 tons.

The H-100 weighs in at 190kg (420 lbs) with a footprint of 443 mm x 315 mm: 17.5  X 12.5 inches. A modular design means owners can extend the range and power by adding motors, controllers, and batteries, making the H-100 a choice for everything from recreational sailing yachts, and catamarans to small passenger ferries to commercial workboats and large inland cruisers or barges.

The drive system can be straight to propeller or configured for stern drive, sail drive or Azimuth thruster. When paired with an ePropulsion HC-160-54 controller, it can be recharged using DC power, rather than needing a converter.

Read: ePropulsion parent company acquires majority stake in ePropulsion UK 

“This latest addition to our product range is yet another example that electric power can deliver a cleaner, more sustainable boating experience without compromising on performance.” says Danny Tao, CEO at ePropulsion. “We are proud to play our part in our industry’s quest to tackle climate change and are looking forward to debuting the H-100 at the Expo.”

Ecomar Propulsion is a UK company that develops and builds zero emission marine propulsion systems up to 1MW. Their mission and goals are “To reduce CO2 emissions by 1 million kg by 2030. To build the most stylish, most reliable, lightest, fastest zero emission marine engines in the world.”

Working with  battery partners in Europe and Asia, Ecomar is developing systems for demanding commercial operators and offer a range of inboard electric motors with power ratings from 50kWh to 10mWh. While their products are not available for the consumer market, their new ORKA electric inboards from 60kW to 110kW look very promising for small commercial operators who are looking to replace fossil fuel outboards.

There are multiple battery pack combinations available with energies ranging from 43kWh to 2MWh. Specific packs are available with lease options to reduce initial capital costs.

We wrote about EPTechnologies a couple of years age when they first introduced their electric motor designed for a Mercury inboard/outboard Sterndrive. Now they have expanded the concept with a plug and play so shipyards can easily install an electric system of 40-400kW.  The idea came about as they realized those businesses are struggling to find electricians and others with a knowledge of electric propulsion.

Inside the drop-in unit, all components are pre-wired in 1-3 frames which can be custom made to fit different needs and boats in series production. Everything is included: batteries, charger, DC/DC, junction box, the controller and cooling.

Customers can be assured that everything is balanced and optimized as EPTechnologies has done some significant installations, including the Sunreef 50 Eco-Electric and a large ferry project in their native Denmark. Their new drop in is all pre-wired for easy installation by mechanics and engineers new to electri propulsion _ and it can be mounted on a shaft, Z or jet drives inboard/outboard) and surface piercing installations.

GreenPower Propulsion is the electric motor  sister company of Blokland Cooling and Propulsion, which has been around since 1962. This gives them a nice foundation to move into electric propulsion with their new water-cooled Blue Marlin series which ranges from 5kW up to a maximum 265kW, all equipped with a low maintenance gearbox to match any propeller shaft speed.

One of the speakers at the Conference section of the Expo is Adrian Patzak, a co-founder of German electric motor company Molabo. Their Mission is to provide safe-to-touch low-voltage e-solutions and the Molabo ISCAD V50 electric drive motor with provides the highest power available using only 48 Volts. Their modular set up means you can buy a totally integrated system or purchase individual components.

The company has 50 patents filed, with 10 granted worldwide. Molabo Managing Director Patzak will be explaining how the engineering team developed a motor that delivers high performance without high voltage and what this means for the installation of an electric drive. He will also be showcasing some installations.

NT Systems is a Slovenian company founded in 2018 and making its first appearance at the Expo. Their team has strong backgrounds in electric engineering and electric systems and of course, electric propulsion, having worked with Greenline Yachts, the biggest hybrid fleet in the world in the class 10-20 m. As with others, the main benefit of the showcase product is easy installation.

Their units is prewired and premounted with: electric motor, optional gearbox, drive controller, cooling pump for inner circle (glycol), cooling pump for outer circle (seawater), a heat exchanger between inner and outer circle, filter for seawater, expansion tank for an inner circle, electronics with CANbus communications (ECU), all the water plugs, all the electrical plugs and motor mounts. They come in a range from 25kW – 350kW continuous power.

Last year, Saietta Group announced the launch of Propel, its marine propulsion division that applies the axial flux technology of Saietta EV motors to electric marine propulsion. Propel’s first outboard motor, the Propel S1, can generate 10kW continuous output from a 48V battery, equalling a 25hp internal combustion engine (ICE) in terms of acceleration and top speed. They are now introducing their inboard.

The Propel D1, is an inboard series of electric crate motors designed specifically to replace ageing diesel engines. Again, simplicity is the key. The D1 inboards have everything built in, with no external controllers or pumps: simply take an old diesel out, install the motor on the same foundation, connect drive-shaft, water and battery, and you are ready to go.

Sander van Dijk, Propel’s managing director and chief technical officer, says: “Users want simple and worry-free access to cutting-edge electric propulsion technologies that don’t sacrifice style over substance.” Others obviously agree. The Propel S1 just won a prestigious Red Dot Design Award, known internationally as one of the most sought-after marks of quality for good design.

Another speaker at the conference will be Giorgio Caviglia of Sealence. He will be speaking about This presentation will describe how Sealence has designed its DeepSpeed outboard electrical jets, a new kind of propulsion that exploits the latest fluid dynamics innovations and electric engine, battery pack and electronics component technologies to create a highly efficient motor with minimal environmental footprint.

DeepSpeed has received patents in 52 countries and comes in a range of jets from 280 to about 400hp, with a 1,000hp single jet currently under development. Range extenders selection varies from 180-500KW.

Read about DeepSpeed’s high power liquid cooled battery 

Sr. Caviglia will also be covering how the company has worked with Fiat Powertrain Technology (Iveco Group) to develop battery packs immersed in a non-flammable liquid that guarantees the ideal operating temperature of the cells, for the benefit of their reliability and durability.

Boat systems specialist VETUS was one of the first large companies to offer electric motors 20 years ago and has now revived some older models and introduced some new ones as electric boating is starting to surge. At the Expo they will be highlighting their new VETUS E-DRIVE systems including the 48V E-POD100 (10kW) package, designed for installation in the vessel’s stern.

The VETUS E-LINE range (5 kW to 10 kW) is a standard shaft-driven inboard to replace diesel engines while the E-POD includes propeller, pod and drive. The E-LINE has a smart, water-cooled 48V controller that lets the user charge the battery bank with a 24V battery charger. 

Read about VETUS motor system installed on the Old Nick canalboat

The E-LINE also features VETUS’s Active Electronic Braking, with the high torque of the electric motor used to change the direction of rotation quickly and actively, enabling the boat to be stopped within one boat length if necessary.

Austrian company Volta Future is unveiling an electric outboard with a unique look and range of power from 66 – 222kW (90 – 300hp) of continuous power. The e-outboard is called iWOP, which stands for invisible Waterline Outboard Power-drive. The unique housing holds either one or two specially developed high performance electric motors and the iWOP can be mounted as an outboard or sterndrive.

The housing is identical for the single or twin configuration, and in the twin motor model the company says it is breaking new ground by linking the electric motors using a carbon belt drive. The single motor is designed for boats up to 7 meters (23 ft) and the double configuration for boats 7 – 12m (23-40 ft)

The Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo – Europe takes place June 21 – 24 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. With exhibitors and

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