When Ford announced its new all-electric F-150 this spring, it seemed to mark a turning point in the electrification revolution. Lincoln immediately announced that it will transition to an all-electric luxury car lineup by 2030. The Volkswagen Group, the manufacturers of Audi, Porsche, Ducati, Skoda, Lamborghini, Bentley and other luxury brands also predict that 70% of the cars sold in Europe will be fully battery-powered by 2030. China And the United States’ electric cars will account for half of all car sales.
Luminosity | Photo courtesy of Burgess
Electrification is clearly driving the automotive industry, but it has only just begun to make waves in the yachting world. There are less than 100 pure electric boats per year. At the same time, most American boat people have been reluctant to accept electric technology-mainly because of the limited power of the battery. (After all, which boatman wants to be trapped at sea without help?) However, most industry experts predict that electric technology will be the future.
“The International Maritime Organization has always been a leader in this work,” the team explained Burgess, The world leader in luxury yachts. The IMO has taken mandatory measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping by at least 50% by 2050. IMO also expects a reduction in carbon dioxide2 Compared with 2008 data, emissions will be at least 40% by 2030 and at least 70% by 2050. The Burgess team concluded: “This legislative drive will mean that all commercial and recreational vessels need to change.”
The yacht industry is exploring a variety of methods to generate clean energy, including pure battery power, hybrid drive systems, hydrofoil systems and solar energy. “Current advances in marine propulsion and electricity are based on electricity. The main changes will come from the way Electricity is generated on the yacht, not how it is generated storage,” Burgess team pointed out. “This will have the greatest impact on the speed, range and layout of the ship in the future. “
They predict that the dream of all-electric yachts will first be realized in smaller size categories, such as day boats and wake surf boats.
Super Air Nautique GS22 | Photo courtesy of Nautique Shipping Company
In the U.S, navigation Recently with Ingenuity, An electric propulsion brand, to create a 100% electric GS22E, a wake surfing boat. According to the website, Ingenity has integrated an energy-intensive battery and propulsion system in the engine compartment of the GS22, which allows two to three hours of “normal water sports use, and can be charged in just 90 minutes.” .
Candela C-7
European brands such as Candle, Dutch craft, Land, X shore, Marianne with Life X Electric day boats are also produced. For example, the Swedish-made Candela C-7 uses the most advanced hydrofoil system to raise the hull of a 25-foot-long electric boat above the water, reducing friction by 80% and enabling long-distance navigation. Pure battery power supply. The retractable hydrofoil allows the C-7 to have a range three times longer than other electric boats on the market at a speed of 22 knots, and can travel 50 miles before it must be charged. It reaches the highest end of 30 knots. The American-made Navier 27 is an electric boat with three retractable hydrofoils; the boat has a maximum speed of 30 knots and a range of 70 miles at a speed of 20 knots.
Silent 64 | Photo courtesy of Silent Yachts
Other ship manufacturers are studying the use of solar energy as a source of power.One of the pioneers is based in Austria Silent yacht, The manufacturer of solar-powered multi-body cruisers. It quietly gained fame thanks to the Silent 64, which broke records in 2018, becoming the first solar-powered production yacht to cross the Atlantic, and the largest three-deck Silent 80 solar-powered catamaran so far. According to Chief Marketing Officer Franz Böse, the company’s difference from other shipyards is that it will not modify existing yachts to make them electric. “All of our catamarans are specially built and have been completely sustainable from the start using solar energy,” he pointed out. The company’s innovation comes from its “ability to place more solar panels on shorter boats through smarter designs. The lighter the yacht, the less energy is required for propulsion, which not only increases the voyage, but also increases the use of on-board luxury The available power of the facility.”
Photo courtesy of Silent Yachts
To date, Silent Yachts has sold 38 yachts. “Some of our customers are passionate Tesla drivers and people who own yachts for the first time,” Böse explained. “A humble person who is interested in the latest technology and enjoys the love of the ocean but cannot agree with the polluting nature of traditional motor yachts.” This is the type of customers Navier hopes to attract: those who want to enjoy the freedom of water without generating carbon emissions. Young crowd. This Silicon Valley boating startup was founded by two MIT engineers and just launched a Pioneer project for people interested in electric concepts.
The future of all-electric technology in large ships seems even more distant. However, the Burgess team optimistically predicts that with the introduction of diesel-electric propulsion systems, superyachts will gradually adopt all-electric technology: “After five years, we expect that many new yachts delivered will be equipped with hybrid technology. The technology is most likely to be The form of battery system and small fuel cell system is combined with diesel/dual fuel generator set.”
Most of the new Burgess projects are conceived around diesel-electric technology, using diesel generators to develop electricity for propulsion and hotel loads. They predict: “The future is absolutely electric, and DC is the common denominator.” They predict, “This will make it easier to integrate battery systems and reduce the number of on-board converters required for other systems.” The team expects another 10 years. , We will see that yachts over 85 meters are completely powered by fuel cells and completely eliminate the use of fossil fuels.
Compared with the dynamic and fast-paced nature of the automotive industry, the yacht industry has been slower to adopt new technologies.
“Economies of scale are not as effective here as in the automotive industry, simply because of the overall market size,” Böse said. “However, it is happening. The ball is rolling steadily, the domino effect has occurred, and other yacht manufacturers have begun to develop solar-powered electric yachts.”
This article originally appeared in Houses and estates Magazine.
Alison Petar
