WHO’S BETTING ON ELECTRIC SHIPS
If after an uncertain beginning hybrid and/or electric propulsion in the automotive world has now become a consolidated reality, which is conquering for ever larger market segments of the industry as years go by. When it comes to the yachting world we’re still ‘pioneering’. It is a known fact however that several shipyards began to tread that path several years ago; sometimes with great determination and some conviction and at times only to follow the trendy “green” course to which they’re undeniably fond of.
Up until now we can safely admit, it has all boiled down to interesting attempts, which have been limited by a technology that needs to progress further and a market which is still unprepared. What’s more the high costs involved in adopting this kind of propulsion or power house as it were, which still offers little capability to effectively run electrical power efficiently more than the mechanical one, together with the high costs of battery banks and the considerable volume of space and weight they absorb have no doubt been a further limiting factor to the development of on board hybrid / electric systems. All things considered; there has been scarce information technology which seen from users’ view points, all too often was translated in extra complications and not as a real advantage. Today, probably time is ripe and may well give way to greater understanding and diffusion of hybrid and /or electric power houses in yachting, if not else where, but certainly yes in large superyachts. Infact if from a purely technical perspective there are no limits at either end of the yacht size scale, but the added costs involved in going for hybrid and/or electric propulsion are such, which are not commeasurable to engine power installed, they become too heavy to bear in proprtion and limit their use in smaller yachts specially when taking into account their effective seasonal use.
Consequently the number of shipyards producing very large yachts are betting on the undoubted advantages that hybrid and/or electric propulsion offer potentially
