ZF Marine working on new gear controls, joysticks
Emerging technologies have sparked a rethink of how ZF Marine connects skippers with their boatsZF Marine, the company that developed the world-first two-speed gearcase for the 600hp Mercury V12 outboard engine, has revealed its next project – an all-new human-machine interface for boats.
The marine division of the German engineering group responsible for automatic transmissions fitted to road-going vehicles from high-end car makers already makes components for boats ranging from electric steering boxes, joystick systems and thruster controllers.
However, now it has flagged it wants to develop a new-look system that ties all these technologies in together, introducing things such as automatically adjusting the revs while an outboard engine starts up, individual joystick controls for each engine, and automatic engine synchronisation to minimise fuel use.
The new products, made possible by what ZF Marine says is a new generation of “innovative sensing technologies together with safety integrity functions”, will launch to market later this year.
ZF Marine is working on a number of new hybrid battery-powered propulsion systems for boats that can drop in behind a conventional petrol- or diesel-powered engine to provide silent running, better fuel efficiency under heavy load such as accelerating, and even better fuel economy while sitting on cruising speeds.
The add-on electric systems, which can be powered separately using diesel generators, can add as much as 2600hp to a boat’s performance for a much smaller footprint.
The new controls will be developed for both commercial and recreational boats.
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