Cory Gunther
Electric vehicles are all the rage right now, but we’re seeing a similar shift in the aircraft and watercraft markets. Oceanvolt, a Finnish electric boat motor company, has a new motor with an extended range that can recharge itself.
While electric boats of all shapes and sizes are on the way, range and battery recharging are still common hurdles. However, Oceanvolt thinks it may have a solution with the new Oceanvolt ServoProp 25 Sail Drive, a small sailboat motor.
Yes, most modern sailboats have a motor for slow cruising, navigating a marina, or staying on course when the wind dies down. And similar to how cars have regenerative braking that gives you a little battery back from driving and braking, the ServoProp offers hydro-regeneration.
Oceanvolt is a leader in the space, and its latest ServoProp 25 is the most powerful motor on the market. According to Plugboats, the new model promises over twice the hydrogeneration power of previous models.
The company’s Sail Drives use unique propellors with variable pitch blades, making them efficient for propulsion or regenerating power from movement. Users can turn on the motor and keep the sailboat moving or change it to regeneration mode with the flip of a switch.
In hydrogeneration mode, the ServoProp 25 can regenerate upwards of 5 kW of power when a boat is going around 10 knots. It’ll recharge the battery while the boat moves through the water when there’s enough wind. Plus, Oceanvolt says future upgrades could enable even better performance.
Remember that while you’ll still need to recharge the battery system, and this won’t give boats infinite power, it’ll certainly help increase range for those hitting the open sea. The new Oceanvolt ServoPop 25 is best suited for boats up to 70 ft long and will start shipping later this year.
via Electrek
