Vision Marine Technologies’ battery improvements driving forward electric propulsion for boats.
Continuous design breakthroughs are helping Vision Marine Technologies (VMT) make a huge impact in the company’s dedicated battery pack for recreational marine use. Utilizing Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) chemistry cell technology, the batteries are compact, lightweight, and offer high-voltage delivery and internal cooling.
The Canada-based manufacturer is already powering the Four Winns H2E that launched last year. The H2E is a 22-foot bowrider with an 8-foot, 5-inch beam and capacity for 10 people. Equipped with the E-Motion 180E Powertrain, including outboard motor and twin battery pack, the H2E can reach a top speed of 35 knots, cruise for more than an hour at 20 knots, and run at 11 knots for up to six hours. The Four Winns H2E retails for approximately $189,000.
“Having electric powerboats go mainstream is a big challenge, a much more difficult engineering problem compared to electric vehicles like Tesla,” says Bruce Nurse, director of marketing for VMT. “Boats must overcome the constant friction of the water and the constant load on the propeller.”
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VMT’s 180E offers 134 kW of continuous power, the equivalent of 180 horsepower. The VMT battery system in the Four Winns H2E comprises two 43 kWh batteries wired into a control and charging system. The batteries can be charged with conventional 110-volt or 220-volt shore power.
“Battery size is an issue because you don’t have much room on a boat compared to how an electric vehicle battery is built into the chassis of a car,” Nurse says. “Our batteries are not as wide but thicker, and freshwater or saltwater makes no difference. That doesn’t affect the system.”
VMT’s integrated system offers boatbuilders and consumers who want to retrofit their boats into electric an all-in-one system.
“The battery is the most important element within this integrated system because without the battery you are going nowhere,” Nurse says. “The patents we have filed, the R&D (research and development) we have put into it, the proprietary software to manage the battery, it all goes into driving that propeller.”
In addition to Four Winns, VMT is working with a pontoon company and other boat manufacturers to integrate its E-Motion 180E Powertrain.
“We’ve been asked by many, many consumers if they can retrofit their boats with our powertrain,” Nurse says. “The question they ask is, ‘Can I take everything associated with an internal combustion engine outboard motor, remove that, remove the gas tank, everything, and put your system in?’ The answer is, ‘We are working on that right now.’”
The twin stainless steel constructed VMT battery packs offer an IP67 waterproof rating, and the high-placed connectors at the tail end provide ergonomic installation and resistance to water exposure. The pack’s versatile design includes multiple fixation points for dampers that enhance vibration resistance throughout its lifetime.
“Securing the patent for the battery is essential,” says Alexandre Mongeon, CEO. “These packs are the cornerstone of efficiency on the water and can be sold to other OEMs and powertrain manufacturers at scale. The battery packs will become a significant source of income as demand rises.”
In addition, VMT filed a patent for its E-Motion vehicle control unit (VCU). Developed in-house for the E-Motion 180E Powertrain, the VCU controls and monitors all functions and readings of the high- and low-voltage systems.
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Recreational boaters may be concerned about the lack of range or running time with the H2E at higher speeds. However, Nurse says data from the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) shows that consumers don’t actually run at higher speeds for long periods.
“First off, the buyer of our system isn’t running forty miles offshore to go marlin fishing,” Nurse says. “We’re looking at boaters on Intracoastal waterways, rivers, and lakes. The data from the NMMA shows that the typical consumer runs at eleven knots. And on average, our battery will run a boat for six to eight hours at that speed.
“You have the ability to hit it hard when you need it,” he continues. “But on average, you are just going to be cruising, and that’s going to lead to longer battery life.”
Safety is also a big issue, and the E-Motion 180E Powertrain has plenty of protection built in.
“People ask all the time about an electric motor on a boat and how it can fry them,” Nurse says. “We meet all the U.S. Coast Guard requirements for safety to protect consumers. Our battery actually has double layers. Even if something does penetrate the first layer, it’s not getting through the second layer. And just like at home, if there is an issue we have an automatic shutoff, just like your electrical system (there).” visionmarinetechnologies.com
-by Doug Thompson
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