Home-grown hybrid boat locked in for Sanctuary Cove debut
Steber International to display a diesel-electric upgrade that will one day repower older boatsTaree-based boat-builder Steber International will use the 2024 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show to give a close-up look at the first Australian designed and developed hybrid boat that will one day power recreational craft.
Steber International general manager Alan Steber told boatsales that while the vessel that would go on show at Sanctuary Cove with the 600-volt hybrid system would be a commercial boat, longer-term plans were to extend it to recreational applications.
“We are gearing up to fit this technology to existing boats where old engines are stuffed, and a new pair of electric engines, shaft driven, could be installed,” Steber said.
“[The hybrid system will be] making an old boat into a clean usable boat for many years to come and with an expected attractive resaleable market in the future,” he said.
The hybrid boat system was initially tested in a 6.7-metre hull, with the trial expanded to a full-size 13.1-metre boat.
The hybrid boat project is a collaboration between Steber, complex electrical engineering specialist Ampcontrol, and the University of Newcastle.
Emissions-friendly technology
According to Steber, the hybrid diesel/electric propulsion system makes a boat more power-efficient, quieter and significantly more emission-friendly without losing cruising range.
A hybrid drivetrain also means the boat can use a smaller and less powerful diesel engine to either match the pure diesel drivetrain it has replaced or even produce more power while tapping into the electric assistance.
“With folding propeller technology, an operational vessel may have twin diesel engines as is currently in use, with a third additional electric motor producing efficient manoeuvring with both diesel engines shut down.
“When high speed is required, the twin diesels can be “kicked in” and the electric motor shut down, allowing the folding propeller to eliminate drag.
“If a 240-volt generator is installed on board for other applications such as air-conditioning for the crew, computers, etcetera, this power can offer further support to the battery bank via ‘charging on the run’ while the main thirsty twin engines are shut down.”
The workboat to go on show at Sanctuary Cove has an electric motor and a diesel generator that can be used to recharge a bank of batteries, as well as diesel engines. The battery bank can also be fully recharged using shore power.
Battery power alone can drive the boat for up to 12 hours at 4.0 knots, but switch over to the diesel engines and the boat is capable of hitting 22.0 knots.
The 2024 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show runs from May 23-26.
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