ePropulsion showcases new 96V systems and batteries at METSTRADE

ePropulsion Americas has unveiled new 96V marine propulsion products aimed at boatbuilders, expanding its electric drive offerings for the 2025 model year. 

The firm showcased three new products at the recent METSTRADE. The Pod Drive 20 eSSA is central to the launch, a compact under-hull motor unit compatible with Volvo and Yanmar sail drive mounts. The system combines motor, propeller, and cooling in a single unit, reducing installation complexity and freeing interior space compared to traditional inboard engines. 

With the pod being so compact, Danny Tao, co-founder and CEO of ePropulsion told MIN on a guided tour of the new products: “customers don’t need an engine room any more. It’s saving weight and is high efficiency.”

Alongside the drive system, e-Propulsion introduced the new G102-230 battery, a 23kWh system supporting up to eight parallel units. The battery provides 3,500 cycles at 80 per cent depth of discharge and powers the firm’s 96V 10 to 40 kW motors, including the X and I Series and the Pod Drive eSSA Series. It has a built-in intelligent battery management system for maximum safety, and its slim design optimises under-boat or seat storage. 

Within the Pod Drive eSSA Series, “data are transferred to a cloud server,” says Tao, which is “accessible to the customer. After each trip it automatically generates a trip report. That shows where the customer has been, and how much electricity was used. If they’re a long way from boat, they can also check the status of battery and its geo location.” The latter is a security measure.

Tao is keen to stress that the data collation complies with local laws. And he says: “Personal data is of no interest to us. Only machine data and how it’s going.” That means that any problems can be diagnosed remotely by service engineers.

The PowerCruise Essential, an integrated power management system for electric and hybrid vessels, completes the range. The system manages power distribution across hybrid and all-electric setups, supporting both AC and DC power needs.

“It doesn’t make sense to have two propulsion systems,” says Tao. “It should be the same battery for house and propulsion systems . . . a complete energy system onboard for customers – with batteries, motors and invertors.”

With the company aiming itself at OEMs (and refits), Tao mentions that more than half ePropulsion’s OEM customers are already integrating with solar power systems.

He’s also animated about the new system’s easy-to-understand screen that he says it’s working for OEM customers, and is “tested and certified by us.”

“We’re manufacturing all this as well as batteries and controllers.” While he notes that some components have suppliers, ePropulsion is doing the “programming part. We provide solutions.

“We are offering a complete solution. We want to be a one-stop shop for electrical vessels. We can configure and make sure it all works together. We are ahead of the game.

“I think it’s becoming a trend, but we are leading it,” he says.  “There is lots of programming involved and lots of knowledge and engineering hours in the system.”

These developments are a result of the commercial marine unit of ePropulsion that was launched last year. This arm of the firm focuses on delivering comprehensive system integration solutions, both electric and hybrid, for applications ranging from 50kW to 1000kW.

“We have prioritised our product innovation and increased our R&D efforts to better serve our partners in the development of future boat design. We want to create a one-stop shop for our partners without multiple vendors to manage,” says Tao.

“All of our products are thoroughly tested, and the plug-and-play designs ensure straightforward installation and seamless integration as a total system based on our advanced system architecture. This opens up new design possibilities for naval architects, setting a fresh standard in marine innovation.”

Images courtesy of ePropulsion.