Mercury to go racing with electric outboard motors
Mercury Marine jumps on the E1 Series as the official battery-powered outboard motor supplierMercury Marine will develop an all-new electric outboard motor that could one day lead to retail sales by expanding on what it already does well – it is going racing.
The US inboard and outboard marine engine specialist announced last week it would develop a line of battery-powered outboard engines for the E1 Series, a new championship that will race cutting-edge “RaceBird” foiling boats.
The Monaco-based team behind the series says it expects the boats to hit the water for the first time under full race conditions in 2023.
In the meantime, Mercury will be working with the series’ official battery supplier, Kreisel Electric, to build an electric outboard motor that will draw 150kW from the 34kWh lithium-ion power source that each boat will use to push it to a top speed of around 50 knots.
The batteries will be made for high-performance operation, including immersion cooling that circulates refrigerant around the battery cells to stop them from overheating – and potentially catching fire.
Mercury will also need to work with Navico, the race series’ official supplier of everything it will need to run the boats’ electronics and navigation systems. Navico will provide its cutting-edge Simrad technology for the E1 Series.
Spectator-focussed racing
The E1 Series organisers last week unveiled the first of the new hulls that will race in the proposed 10-round championship that will travel the world and provide close in-shore action to make it a more engaging spectator sport.
Mercury Marine’s owner, Brunswick Corporation, recently has made a number of strategic buys to add more tech-heavy expertise to its growing portfolio of interests.
One of the latest was SemahTronix, a company that makes highly complex electrical wiring harnesses for the marine, mobile, and defence industries.
Brunswick’s new tech-heavy businesses are being merged under the Advanced Systems Group, which already includes expertise in advanced batteries, electrical power management, digital control and monitoring, and networked systems and devices.
Mercury has not said if the technology developed for the electric hydrofoil series will eventually trickle down into its recreational marine business.
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