Torqeedo & Italdraghe develops electric propulsion for shallow waterways
Torqeedo and marine equipment constructor Italdraghe have announced the joint development of an outboard, retractable electric propulsion system for commercial vessels in inland and urban waterways.
The system combines Torqeedo’s Deep Blue high-voltage electric power system and Italdraghe’s field-tested steerable azimuth thrusters. It is designed to provide emission-free power and directional thrust, which the companies say is ideal for manoeuvring on environmentally sensitive waterways.
“There are many commercial applications that can be electrified very economically by using this concept,” says Matthias Schubert, director project sales for Torqeedo. “Our focus is to keep the total cost of ownership low by offering a solution on a system level, including design-in, service, maintenance and remote diagnostics. This makes electrification as easy and safe as possible for the shipyard and the fleet operator.”
Torqeedo‘s 50kW Deep Blue electric motor/inverter, integrated with Italdraghe’s azimuth thrusters, delivers continuous power of 50kW and peak power of 65kW. The propellers can rotate up to 360 degrees, and the drive units have a 600mm depth regulation for operation in shallow water and can be tilted up to 60 degrees for maintenance without the need for de-installation from the boat.
Schubert observed that most commercial fleets in European cities are powered by decades-old marine diesel engines. As well as their CO2 emissions not being in line with the international goals to reduce global warming, human health is also at risk. The companies say that electrification of commercial fleets in inner-city waterways can be accomplished easily and cost-effectively because vessel speeds are limited, resulting in lower battery discharge rates, and they typically operate only 8-14 hours per day, leaving plenty of time for overnight charging.
The system also includes one or more Deep Blue high-capacity lithium-ion batteries, shore power charger, a system management unit for energy and power management, and a touch-screen display and throttle.
The Deep Blue lithium-ion batteries, depending on the number installed, can provide 80kWh to 1MWh output. They meet IEC 62619 and IEC 62620 requirements, making them suitable for use in EU inland vessels subject to ES-TRIN (European Standard laying down Technical Requirements for Inland Navigation vessels) standards. A DNV-GL type-approved battery variant is also available for offshore applications.
Engineer Massimo Semprini, Italdraghe’s technical and sales director, says: “Our integrated electric solution is designed to make the investment to convert existing fleets to electricity even more economically and ecologically beneficial. We will collaborate closely with Torqeedo’s application engineers to design and install the ideal system for each application.”
The new electric propulsion package will be on display on Stand 4214 at the 2021 Europort exhibition in Rotterdam 2-5 November.
Italdraghe, founded in 1952, designs and constructs dredgers, mining pumps, axial flow pumps, harvesters and marine equipment, as well as a range of bow thrusters and rudder propellers ranging from 20 kW to 500 kW.
