A new all-electric surface drive system could deliver unparalleled speed, range and ease of installation, writes Hugo Andreae
Until now only a handful of specialist yards have attempted to build electric boats. The U difficulty of trying to source the right components, package them into a suitable hull and get it all working seamlessly while delivering the speed and range that customers demand at a price they can afford has simply proved too challenging. Now a German start-up is hoping to simplify the process with a complete plugand-play electric drivetrain that promises major gains in speed, efficiency and range. The first craft with this new system, a foil-assisted 8.6m powercat, is said to have a top speed of 60 knots and a cruising range of 70nm at 30 knots.
The key to its performance is a pair of eD-TEC’s new all-electric surface drives. Founded by the Volkswagen Group’s former chief strategy officer, Michael Jost, eD-TEC’s mission is to smooth the boatbuilding industry’s transition from fossil fuels to electric using learnings from the automotive market. That means developing a robust, reliable drivetrain that’s easy to install, operate and maintain.
SURFACE PIERCING
To minimise drag, the development team settled on a surface drive setup with its own integrated gearbox and electric motor. This entire unit is designed to slot straight into a templated transom cut-out and bolted into place from the outside. With its surface-piercing propeller set inside a composite housing and framed by a pair of small rudders, it makes for an unusually compact and lightweight drivetrain that weighs under 100kg and measures 1,365mm x 860mm x 504mm.
It’s simple to install and the design is said to deliver the speed and efficiency of a surface drive setup with the manoeuvrability and simplicity of a shaftdrive one. It even has a pair of small horizontal fins on either side of the housing that pivot up and down like the diving planes on a submarine to adjust the trim angle.
Cooling of the motor and battery is taken care of by a fully integrated system with a raw water pick-up and outlet built into the surface drive’s external housing to avoid the need for any additional through-hull hoses or seacocks. A titanium heat exchanger has been engineered to minimise corrosion issues while sensors for temperature, humidity and vibration monitor the key parameters and help predict potential issues before they become a problem.
THE POWER OF 1
The first of these new electric drives, the eD-QDrive 1, has a continuous output of 100kW (135hp) and a peak output of 200kW (270hp), allowing it to deliver short bursts of full power acceleration to get on the plane before settling back to a constant cruising speed of 30 knots.
