The move toward electric-powered outboard boats got a major boost today. Indeed, Group Beneteau and Vision Marine Technologies just announced that they’ve formed a partnership to put VMT’s electric-powered outboards on several of Beneteau’s brands, starting with Four Winns.
VMT makes the E-Motion 180, which it says is the world’s most powerful electric outboard. The 180-hp outboard has a battery capacity of 70kWh of continuous power, enough to drive a typical day boat for a full day on the water.
The E-Motion system combines an advanced lithium-ion battery pack, an inverter and a high-efficiency motor with a proprietary assembly between the transmission and the motor.
Vision Marine Technologies adapted some of its principles from the state-of-the-art automobile market, and worked with McLaren Engineering to design a secure and user-friendly system. “This will change the way consumers go boating,” said Xavier Montagne, COO of VMT.
Beneteau and VMT worked on a prototype earlier this year. “The key to electrification is to have a full analysis of the customer-use case,” said Erik Stromberg, the director of power and motor yacht products for Beneteau. “Many of the boats in our portfolio fit perfectly with a 100 per cent electric solution.”
The Four Winns boat with the E-Motion 180 will be ready next spring.
VMT has tested a 180-hp electric outboard on several types of boats for the past two years.
Alexandre Mongeon, co-founder and CEO of VMT, said the company was looking forward to a long partnership with Four Winns. “We continue to showcase our technology and rig the E-Motion powertrain on numerous third-party boats in order to formally move towards scaled production of our E-Motion technology for commercial usage,” he said.
Group Beneteau is a French company. In addition to Four Winns, its brands include Wellcraft, Scarab, Glastron, Beneteau, Jeanneau, Prestige, Excess, Delphia, Lagoon, and MCY. For its part, VMT is a Canadian company with its plant just north of Montreal. Read more:
http://visionmarinetechnologies.com
