Are Marine Batteries the Future?

What does the future hold for marine batteries?

A recent analysis by Future Market Insights forecasts that the global electric boat market is projected to grow by 11 percent. And that its value will more than double by the end of 2028. It’s estimated that pure electric boats to hold 85 percent of the market. That says a lot about the future of marine batteries.

Batteries have come a long way since Prussian inventor Moritz Hermann von Jacobi developed a useable rotating electric motor in 1834 and installed an improved version of it on a 28-foot paddle boat in 1838. The batteries used in the boat had 320 pairs of zinc plates, weighed more than 396 pounds and powered the 14-passenger boat about 1.5 miles per hour. Today, a typical marine starting battery weighs around 37 pounds.

Battery technology has advanced so much so that Panasonic Corporation has developed a pin-shaped lithium-ion battery with a .13-inch diameter and a weight of 0.02 ounces, and Sandia National Laboratories created one that is finer than a human hair. Florida International University recently secured a patent for magnetic battery technology that can recharge in a fraction of a second. Battery technology is moving forward fast.

The Norway Way

The environmentally-friendly push to go green has been a driving force in the development of hybrid, 100-percent electric and solar propulsion systems. These systems reduce emissions, optimize fuel consumption, lower noise, and vibration levels. They are lighter, take up less space, and reduce maintenance costs. The Norwegian Parliament is taking a tough stand on emissions by implementing a zero-emission zone within its fjords by 2026 when all cruise ships and ferries must be electric.

Siemens built Norway’s first all-electric ferry that has two electric motors with an output of 450 kWh through lithium-ion batteries. The 262-foot ferry is built from light aluminum. This reduced its weight by half and doubled the hull’s lifetime compared to conventional steel hulls. Steel hulls are necessary when the batteries weigh 10 tons. An all-electric catamaran built of carbon fiber was recently delivered to a Norwegian company. The catamaran has a 1,800-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and two 450-kW electric motors that can drive the 138-foot, 400-passenger ferry 16 knots for 30 nautical miles. A custom dock is in production with a 2.4 MWh battery pack that will recharge the boat in 20 minutes. Battery technology is becoming more versatile.

The Future is Electric

“Lithium-ion is the future,” says Jamie Campbell of West Marine. They store more energy, maintain a higher current. Plus, they don’t lose their charging capacity compared to other batteries, and they provide more cycles than lead-based batteries. However, they’re very expensive. Most boaters have heard of the brand Torqeedo or Elco and their electric outboard and inboard motors. Elco outboards require four 12-volt lead-acid AGM batteries to run the 48-volt system or only one lithium battery.

Torqeedo won West Marine’s “Most Environmentally Friendly Product” award in 2011 with a 3-hp equivalent electric motor and now offers 32 electric boat drives ranging from 1 to 80 horsepower along with lithium batteries engineered to match each system. If you’re making a move to all electric, Torqeedo has developed a lithium-nickel-cobalt-manganese battery for their 20-hp outboard that weighs up to 70 percent less than an AGM battery, has a waterproof housing with IP67 plug connection and communicates with the drive’s onboard computer; however, it can be used with other electric drives as long as power requirements are within the battery’s specifications (not as a starter battery). For boats with a direct drive inboard system, Torqeedo has developed BMW’s i3 (and now i8) automotive lithium-ion battery system for use in their fully-integrated, 80-hp Deep Blue inboard drive system.

Mastervolt recently designed the MLI-E Series, the first being the MLI-E 12/1200 battery. Using a lithium-ion phosphate chemistry, the 12-volt battery, “is the most stable available and is not prone to self-ignition,” says Rufus van Gruisen, president of Cay Electronics. With 1,200 watt-hours of energy, the battery is designed to replace most existing lead-acid batteries to power small electric motors for propulsion.

What’s Ahead

“Looking further ahead, the marine industry will benefit from research into developing solid-state batteries, currently underway by some automotive manufacturers including BMW and Toyota,” says van Gruisen. “Solid state batteries will use both solid electrodes and solid electrolytes and have a greater energy density than achieved with lithium polymer technology; however, lithium batteries will continue to be the cutting edge for now.”

By Steve Davis, Southern Boating September 2018

Photos: Wikimedia Julius Dub/ Mastervolt

WeeGo Batteries

The WeeGo 66 is the most powerful jump-starter in the award-winning N-Series of versatile, multi-purpose batteries that are also capable of jump-starting boats, cars and more in nearly every engine size. Designed for big gas engines of up to 10L (diesel up to 5L), the Weego 66 can also power phones, tablets and other portable devices, including 12V and 19V electronics.

The 66 incorporates a 600-lumen dual LED flashlight and is IP65 rated for use in the harshest of environments.

MSRP $199.99; myweego.com

Weego Jump Starter Battery

Weego Jump Starter Battery+ is a compact and portable jump starter that fits in your pocket and starts 12V batteries in boats, cars, toys, and more. It also charges phones, tablets and speakers, and is easy to use with jumper cables included. Weego Jump Starters are offered in three sizes: JS6 Standard is capable of starting gas engines up to 4.6L and diesel engines up to 2.4L; JS12 Heavy Duty can easily start gas engines up to 6.4L and diesel engines up to 3.2L, and JS18 Professional can start gas engines greater than 6.4L and up to 4.8L diesels. MSRP $99; myweego.com

Lithium Ion Batteries

There are very few people in the industrial world who have not had some experience with lithium ion battery technology. Lithium ion batteries power almost all modern electronic calculators, electronic watches and cell phones. The advent of rechargeable lithium ion technology in the early 1990s led to such widespread acceptance of the technology that in Japan in 2011, two-thirds of all portable secondary battery sales were lithiums.

Lithium technology has a number of properties that make these rechargeable batteries so attractive. Most important—especially for those used in cell phones—is that they don’t acquire a memory. They can therefore be recharged from any state of charge without adversely affecting their capacity. The second helpful feature is that lithium ion batteries can be recharged very rapidly. A NiCad battery that used to power early cell phones took almost four hours to charge. The Lithium ion battery that charges a new similar cell phone takes about 45 minutes and lasts almost three times longer.

Lithium ion batteries have been making their way into the marine market due to the features noted above for the smaller batteries. In addition, two other lithium battery features are finding great favor with boat owners.

The first is a relatively light weight. Lithium is one of the lightest elements in the periodic table that is not a gas. It floats on water, and a cubic foot of it weighs 62.4 pounds. By comparison, a cubic foot of lead tips the scales at about 710 pounds. A lithium-based battery of about 61 pounds will have approximately the same capacity as a lead-based battery of 168 pounds. This gives marine designers, builders and decorators much more flexibility.

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The other feature mariners like about lithium technology is the fact that the batteries can be charged very rapidly without adverse effect. One builder of aluminum yachts reports that the lithium house battery system he installs requires only one hour of generator time a day to keep the house bank fully charged, compared with four hours for the more traditional lead-based house system he used to install.

The improvements in lithium technology in the past two years have led to the development of a couple of all-electric outboards. Torqeedo has produced an 80-hp unit and a Canadian boat builder, Campion of Kelowna, B.C., has produced a 180-hp all-electric outboard—currently the most powerful in the world. More manufacturers have plans to produce all-electric outboards. This year, in fact, a megayacht builder announced the development of a 12-passenger shore boat for running guests from the anchored megayacht to shore—at 45 knots powered by a pair of 300-hp all-electric outboards.

With the advent of all-electric outboards of meaningful horsepower—as opposed to trolling motors—and the success of the Tesla all-electric sports car, lithium battery manufacturers have had to step up their game considerably, not only with respect to the amount of power that can be stored but also with respect to their battery management systems (BMS). In the short two years since Campion’s 180-hp—which required thousands of small cells to be hand “assembled” to produce the 400 VDC required to power the unit—the company’s Florida consultant began manufacturing in China an 88-pound, 51-volt battery that stores 7 kilowatts of power. The internal battery cells are fitted into in an almost traditional looking, dust-proof and water-resistant case. Each battery has its own battery management system on board and is about 26″x11″x7″.

These types of batteries are still relatively expensive, but major development in the electric car field may soon start to flow into the marine field. In Europe, Renault produces an all-electric car that is sold without the battery pack. Packs are leased to car buyers for the equivalent of $100 per month. Gas costs the buyer almost $300 per month, whereas the cost of battery lease and charging is about $110 per month, and if there’s a battery problem the builder supplies a new one at no cost. This battery lease/rental business model is now being examined by businesses in the marine field.

There will be continued development in battery technology, but these batteries have now reached the point where they are viable for many uses.They are still a bit pricey, but when one considers they have about three times the life of regular lead-based batteries the cost over time is not that much more.

By Roger McAfee, Southern Boating September 2014