iYacht on electric vessels
Some years ago, Udo A. Hafner, our CEO, was interviewed by Torqeedo.
In a compelling article, he shared his insights on why almost every vessel will eventually go electric. He also introduced a project we had just completed at the time: the electric dhonis that are currently sailing in the beautiful waters of the Maldives.
At iYacht, we have delivered many projects with electric propulsion, and many more, such as several multihulls with electric motors powered by solar panels, are currently under development.
In this article, we share some excerpts from the original interview conducted a few years ago and provide fresh opinions on recent developments in the electrification of the industry.
Torqeedo’s interview
Interviewed by Torqeedo, Hafner explained his trajectory and why he believes that boat building has the opportunity to be a genuinely innovative industry.
“I grew up on the lakes of Austria and loved being on the water. As an engineer I always want to solve problems, and there are few environments on our planet where conditions are as extreme as on the oceans.
Boats have enormously high functionality and design demands, with all systems needing to function optimally.I like the fact that you can make giant leaps in our field.
While innovation in the automotive industry can be slow and cumbersome, in yacht building we are much more agile. The small quantities and the fact that a lot of manual work is involved mean that the path from the initial idea to the finished product is often quite short. You can experiment a lot. And even a small team like ours – ten designers, engineers and naval architects – can create something genuinely new.”
Hafner introduced one of the many vessels designed and engineered by iYacht featuring electric propulsion systems. At the end of 2019, we designed fully electric 16-passenger tour boats for a Waldorf Astoria resort in the Maldives. These boats are based on the traditional transport boats of the islands, known as Dhonis.
The boats look a bit like a dhow, the traditional Arabic sailing vessel, but there isn’t much wind around the Maldives so nowadays many of them are motorized. They have a relatively flat hull and are very efficient with little water resistance and a high payload. Small versions in Dubai are known as Abras. I like it when you can combine modern technology with old maritime traditions. With a Deep Blue 25 kW propulsion system and a 40kw/h BMW i3 battery, the boats can cruise for hours between the islands with no CO2 emissions. In addition to the low maintenance requirements, sustainability is one of the most important unique selling points for this customer. The Maldives are acutely threatened by climate change. And who wants to travel by water with a rattling combustion engine?
During the conversation with Torqeedo, Hafner also mentioned other projects signed by iYacht to demonstrate that almost any vessel can go electric. One of them was an aluminum, all-electric catamaran with ice-class certification. The other one was a quite unique underwater toy: the BOND (Breathing Observation Nautical Device).
The latter is an electric-powered underwater scooter designed and engineered by iYacht, allowing people without a diving license to explore the underwater world.
Is the future still electric-powered?
Fast forward to today, the question now is: is the future still electric-powered, or has the scenario changed compared to four years ago?
“In 2020, when interviewed by Torqeedo, I stated that electromobility has a great future, which I still believe today. At the time, I pointed out that the bottleneck was infrastructure. Unfortunately, this is still the case four years later. Battery and drive system performance has improved significantly, opening up new applications for larger boats and longer ranges, but the key issue remains the onshore infrastructure. To really bring electric boating to the next step, we need better charging facilities in harbors, and this requires support from many players: from the sailing clubs to the marinas, from local authorities to governments. Only by working together can we build a new mobility system on water.
The opportunities are immense; we could start with charter boats, which usually have a fixed home port for many years. Imagine electrifying the largest European charter fleet in Croatia. It is technically feasible to update the boats, but that alone is not enough: the necessary infrastructure must follow. An electrified fleet needs a robust charging infrastructure.”
In some areas of the Mediterranean, US, UK, and Scandinavia, companies like Aqua are already building a network of marine fast-charging stations. (An updated map of their network can be found here: Explore Network | Aqua superPower). They are making good progress, this will encourage other players in the industry to follow the example and we hope that these efforts in electrification will be supported by the government and the European Union.
For many projects we are working on now, we rely on efficient solar panels or hybrid systems to overcome the shortage of recharging stations.
Alternative Fuels
So, the future still seems to be electric. But what about other alternatives, such as hydrogen or bio-fuels?
Hafner explains his view: “In the yachting industry, methanol holds promise due to its practicality in installation and high energy density. Methanol can be easily integrated into existing systems with minimal modifications and offers substantial energy output, making it a convenient and efficient fuel choice.
On the other hand, hydrogen faces significant challenges. The infrastructure required for hydrogen storage and distribution is complex and costly. Additionally, hydrogen’s lower energy density compared to methanol makes it less practical for yachting applications, where space and efficiency are crucial. Therefore, methanol is a more viable fuel option for the future of yachting. At the moment.”
