Boating Industry

January 2014

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{ IT'S ELECTRIC! } MARKET FOCUS SECTION "There's a tremendous amount of interest we're starting to see beyond people just wanting to convert their boat to electric. We're seeing a lot of OEMs beginning to really look at this seriously and recognize that this is the wave of the future, and they want to be a part of it," reported Steve Lamando, CEO of Elco. Besides the environmental benefits, electric motors are also chosen for their efficiency, which far exceeds their combustion counterparts. "Our motors are about 92 percent efficient as compared with a combustion engine, which would be somewhere in the neighborhood of about 30 to 40 percent efficient," Lamando explained. "What that means is one unit of energy going into the motor, we only have about 8 percent losses if we're 92 percent efficient, where a combustion motor, whether it be diesel or gas, has a lot more losses." Elco motors also require no winterization and little maintenance, other than checking the battery about once per year. And electric motors, like electric boats, are extremely quiet. "You can get into an electric boat with no warm up," said Joe Flemming, AC motor designer for Elco. "You just get in and turn the key, and you have full power, full torque instantly. In a matter of two seconds, you're off and going. And maneuvering, it's about two to three times faster going from forward to reverse with electric than it is with a diesel or a Elco manufactures 6 to 100 hp diesel equivalent motors that are used in boats up to 80 feet long. gas engine, so for maneuvering in tight corners, getting into a slip alongside a dock or something like that, much more maneuverable." Of course, the environmental benefits usually play a big factor in the reasoning behind an electric motor purchase. Not only is air pollution diminished, but so is water pollution. 42 | Boating Industry | January 2014 P40x43-BI14JAN-MarketFocus.indd 42 "Especially in the boating industry, one of the things that people are most interested in is not only the fact that there's less fumes and smell on the boat, but in a boat ultimately anything that oil and gas end up in a bilge, and then it goes out the bilge pump into the body of water, so I think the environmental benefit is almost two-fold when you get into the boating industry and the boating world," Lamando said. To increase Torqeedo's eco-friendliness, the company has added to its offerings a 45watt solar charger that charges its flagship Travel outboard. "We implanted a port that allows you to hook up a solar panel to it. And so what we like to market and brag about is that a 45-watt panel, and that's what it is, it's basically 45 watts, and if you drive 45 watts on the motor while the sun is out, you'll basically have continuous run time," Trkla said. Though upfront costs sometimes prevent a customer from considering electric versus gas or diesel power, the costs can balance out, or even favor the electric motor in the long run. It's one hurdle the electric motor segment is trying to overcome. "Even though the price of lithium has come down dramatically over the last five years, it still costs more," Trkla said. "Now, with electric you always can try to sell the message about buying your 10-years worth of fuel up front, and over time it becomes cost beneficial. But up front, when you're talking about the immediate pain level, gas motors versus electric solutions are definitely less money, and so I think that to grab that customer, they have to get to a pain level where it's just too dang expensive to operate their boats any more." Another obstacle electric motors have faced is the battery size often means making more room for energy storage with electric motors than a boat would need for a fuel tank with a gas or diesel motor. Also, battery weight can be several times that of the fuel needed for an equivalent combustion engine, Flemming said. However, strides are being made in that respect because of battery usage not only in boats, but also in cars and other applications. "There are huge amounts of money being spent on better, lighter and cheaper batteries, and usually necessity is the mother of inven- tion, and I think there is a need here, the necessity is for more efficient cars, more efficient boats," Flemming said. Torqeedo has begun working with Johnson Controls to produce marine-grade lithium ion batteries for Torqeedo's uses. On top of battery size, range can also be an issue, as consumers with electric-only engines have to rely on a stored charge to run their boats. Though this continues to be problematic, range is increasing as technology advances. "Destination boating was always difficult, but now with the technologies in lithium batteries that's changing. It's changing the equation and allowing you to now have destination boating and electric," Trkla said. "We're still not there. We're still not comparable to gas, but it's getting there, STEVE TRKLA and it will be there." To quell range woes, Elco's motors can be used in conjunction with a diesel-powered generator that keeps the electric motor charged for a continuous cruise, or they can be run parallel with a diesel motor, with both working together or separately. In a parallel system, for example, the electric motor may be used when traveling 5-10 knots, with the diesel motor taking over at speeds beyond that. Though those systems ultimately use biofuels, an electric motor with a diesel generator has the ability to travel three times as far as a diesel motor with the same amount of fuel. CHANGING CULTURE Though electric boats and motors are becoming more commonplace, they still face reservations from some buyers who are used to the gas and diesel engines that have filled the industry throughout their lives. "Americans still have an insatiable love for gas, and so I think gas motors aren't going away any time soon, but we certainly are staking our claim in grabbing far larger market shares, and we'll continue to do that," Trkla said. With greater acceptance of electric and hybrid vehicles, people are realizing the benefits of electric power, and electric motor www.BoatingIndustry.com 12/18/13 10:07 AM

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