Epropulsion: Latest Electric Inboards Shine in Europe
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ePropulsion has made its UK debut at Seawork 2023 and won the Innovation Showcase Category Award for its I series electric inboard. Available in 10KW, 20KW and 40KW input power, the I series electric inboard motors were launched in autumn 2022 and have been shortlisted for the Environmental Achievement of the Year-Propulsion System Design Award of 2023 Electric & Hybrid Marine Awards. Ideal for leisure and commercial marine applications on small and medium size boats, all products in the I series have been designed for ease of installation and space-saving. The models have a compact design that integrates five functional modules of motor, gearbox, motor controller, system control unit and cooling system into a small space. Taking up 60% less space than and being 65% lighter than a typical combustion engine, the I series utilizes an easy to maintain, high-performance and durable lithium iron phosphate battery.
The I series is underpinned by the ePropulsion Smart System Architecture (eSSA) which takes the electronic control unit (ECU) as the core, integrating the electric drive system, interactive system, battery system and cloud all into one. It features a smart and modular design to deliver a safe and reliable performance thanks to its fault diagnosis system and full redundancy design, allowing users to access cloud-based connectivity services without the need for additional accessories. From here, with authorization, users can check everything from the location of the boat to battery level, speed and charging status, automatically generate sailing logs, authorize guests to power on for easy boat sharing remotely, and even turn on the security mode and notify the user instantly should the boat be stolen.
Another high-power electric inboard series, H series, delivers 60-250 kW of power. Designed for boats between 60′ to 100′ with a full displacement of up to 200 tons, the H series delivers a quiet, high performance, making it suitable for large sailing yachts, catamarans, small passenger ferries and trip boats, commercial workboats, and large inland cruisers or barges. The drive system can be straight to propeller, stern drive, sail drive or Azimuth thruster. With zero exhaust fumes, the H series offers a unique, sustainable solution to traditional diesel power, and its bespoke, modular design means manufacturers can add motors, controllers, and batteries to extend the range and power with ease.
ePropulsion has also been actively exploring the commercial market as a new direction which is becoming more important. With the expansion of its OEM offerings by launching the I series (10-40kW) as well as the H series (60-250kW), ePropulsion is dedicating itself to providing pioneering and reliable electric propulsion systems and services to meet the growing demands of the commercial market.
One example of this is the application of an H series 60kW inboard motor to a Thames Marine Services workboat in London. The 10.3m vessel, Albert has a large passenger cabin and open rear deck and is regularly used for filming, diving, and safety work. Her new electric motor will match her approximate 7-knot working speeds achieved with her previous diesel engine.
Another example is the use of ePropulsion’ s integrated system solution to power the first all-electric, mass-produced catamaran, developed by Far East Boats. The vessel, named the FAREAST 42C, is equipped with ePropulsion’ s battery, electric propulsion, and control and management systems solution to showcase the advantages of all electric motors – quiet performance, zero-emission, and efficient propulsion. The Catamaran, announced earlier this year, is powered by a pair of ePropulsion 20kW electric motors, working to combine speed with comfort to provide an excellent sailing capability.
Danny Tao, Co-founder and CEO of ePropulsion said: “We are delighted that ePropulsion UK represented us at Seawork 2023. It was the perfect setting to showcase our environmentally friendly I series, packed with innovative features and design underpinned by the very latest technology to produce efficient, clean and quiet propulsion in an easy-to-use and effortless series. Our sustainable I series and H series are just a selection of our complete product range, and we are proud to play our part in our industry’s quest to tackle climate change. The Expo is the ideal opportunity for us to showcase our recent OEM and commercial marine explorations.”
