FAQ

Of course, installing an electric motor to replace a diesel engine will give new energy to your boat, make it more reliable, silent and odourless. The space occupied by the diesel engine will be occupied by the new electric motor and batteries. Depending on the type of your engine, the power and the autonomy you want to have, the Elettrica Wave team will suggest the ideal solution A seconda della tipologia del tuo motore, della potenza e dell’autonomia che vorrai avere, il team Elettrica Wave ti suggerirà la soluzione ideale

A Full Electric system uses only electricity to propel the boat while a Hybrid system uses electricity and fuel

To increase the autonomy of an electric boat, you can either increase the capacity of the batteries dedicated to marine propulsion, or install a range extension system, which transforms the boat into a hybrid. The hybridization of a boat can generally be of the Hybrid Series (IS) type, if an electric generator that uses the existing diesel/petrol tank recharges the batteries of the boat when it is stationary or underway, while we speak of a Hybrid system Parallel (IP) when the heat engine and the electric motor are mechanically connected, and can alternatively or jointly contribute power to navigatio IS systems are generally used for low powers, up to 50kW, while IP systems are generally used for higher powers, over 50kW. In specific cases, or with limited space availability, or with limited need for Full Electric navigation, the IP system can be an optimal solution.

With hybrid propulsion it is possible to achieve very important autonomy, even exceeding 600 miles.

The autonomy of a boat varies according to the available power/energy ratio, the weight of the boat and the shape of the hull, the weather and sea conditions, and does not have a maximum limit, if not an economic limit and the space available for the batteries.

Generally an electric boat is sized with an autonomy ranging from 3 to 10 hours, at a speed of 4 to 8 knots.

There are no conversion power limits, only space, autonomy and, of course, budget limits. For commercial, work or people transport boats that normally have very powerful engines, depending on the daily route, the economic convenience of a conversion is usually very high, especially in the case of frequent use of the boat and self-production of the energy used

All types of boats can become electric through a retrofit, but displacement normally have the intrinsic advantage of having lower cruising speeds compared to planing and semi-planing, and therefore significantly higher autonomy

Absolutely yes, by installing a powerful electric motor and being aware, however, that in order to have autonomy of several hours, significant battery storage spaces are required, and the investment in terms of cost is significantly higher than a displacement boat, with the same number of miles travelled. An intelligent solution in this case is to install an additional electric motor and make the boat hybrid, in order to have significant improvements in terms of autonomy, performance and sustainability

Absolutely not, the ecological footprint of a hybrid system, whether of the IS or IP type, is significantly lower than that of a traditional endothermic engine for more important reasons: the first is clearly that part of the navigation energy is electric, that if made from renewable sources, it totally eliminates polluting emissions; the second is that the energy produced by the on-board diesel generator is normally generated very efficiently, and allows the propeller to have fewer emissions and consumption for the same power generated. In addition to being more ecological than a traditional diesel engine, therefore, a hybrid engine guarantees lower consumption, quieter navigation and greater reliability.

Electric motors can achieve the same propulsive power as combustion engines with significantly less shaft power. The reason lies in the different torque curves of electric motors and thermal engines. While the torque curve of combustion engines is normally steeply peaked (more steeply in petrol engines), with maximum torque only available over a limited engine rpm range, electric motors have a much steeper torque curve. flat with ample torque available at any engine speed. This feature allows them to operate the propeller at a substantially higher efficiency than for example a heat engine, while being of a lower power and performance class. Clearly, installing a propeller that is correctly designed to interact with the electric motor also makes an important contribution. We are talking about petrol outboards, for example, such as those used in tenders: depending on the characteristics of the technology, normally a 6HP outboard can be replaced by an electric outboard with a nominal power of 3kW (4HP). The same goes for inboard or sterndrive electric motors, which deliver power in a much more linear and efficient way than any diesel engine. If we compare a suitably designed 15kW electric motor together with its propulsion chain, this can easily be compared to a 40 HP heat engine. Basically the top speed will be slightly lower but the real advantage given by the better torque of the electric motor at all regimes and at all speeds will make the boat more reactive even in adverse conditions (rough sea and/or headwind) and consumption more contents.

Electric Wave following a detailed analysis will suggest the ideal power for the boat, depending on the characteristics of the boat, the navigation needs and the autonomy required by the Client.

The batteries can be recharged in the port via columns generally installed on the wharf, but they can also be recharged with photovoltaic modules or small wind generators installed on the boat, or a dedicated internal combustion electric generator. In the case, for example, of the possibility of installing photovoltaic modules on board, these will generate energy continuously during the week, allowing the owner to sail 100% carbon free and at zero cost during the weekend. In the case of sailboats, a further possibility of recharging is to use hydrogen generation, which makes it possible to recover part of the energy generated by the wind to move the boat: also in this case, as for the photovoltaic modules, maximum sustainability and zero cost for recharging.

Contact the Elettrica Wave team who will inform you about all the possibilities for recharging your boat

The technological evolution of batteries is making performance ever longer and more efficient over time. Normally a battery for nautical use (e.g. LiFePO4) has a duration of 3500 to 4500 cycles, which allows you to still have 80% of the available capacity after 15 years, if properly maintained

Absolutely yes, through the control panel and/or app, the residual autonomy is visible and therefore it is possible to manage navigation in the best possible way, programming it in the best possible way.

We speak of a very low resistance quantifiable in about 1.5% / 2% max speed reduction. About a tenth of a knot compared to the opportunity to recharge your batteries for free with the wind.

The electric motors are very reliable and virtually maintenance-free. The on-board display of boats converted from Elettrica Wave allows you to monitor the main engine and battery parameters and warn the owner in the event of any rare problems.

If we assume a sailboat between 9 and 15 meters long, a battery pack can fluctuate between 70 kg and 180 kg, a weight that is abundantly compensated for by the lack of fuel on board and by the electric motor which is decidedly lighter than the diesel one As an indication, the weight of a battery is between 4.5 and 7kg/kWh