The American manufacturer of Mercury Marine motors is implementing its range of electric outboard Avator and releases on the market the Avator 20e and 35e models, available from September 25th 2023. Outboard Avator 20e and 35e respectively generate 2000 W and 3500 W of power at the propeller shaft. The 20e can produce an acceleration resembling the one of a 5 HP four-stroke outboard, whereas the 35e generates an acceleration that can be compared to a 9.9 HP four-stroke Mercury outboard. Offered with tiller or remote control, both are ideal for powering small vessels including aluminium boats, micro skiffs, rigid inflatables, tenders and small pontoons. “After the success of Avator 7.5e, these outboard motors establish new reference parameters by innovation, performances and connectivity. The investments and the progresses we are making allow Mercury to go on developing the Avator range and to offer soon other electric low-voltage outboard motors that will change the sector “, Buelow, President of Mercury Marine, affirmed.
Mercury Marine has collaborated with Mastervolt, another sister company of Brunswick Group through Navico, to develop a 2,300 Wh IP67 waterproof and transportable lithium-ion battery. The latter can be directly used or through the Avator Power Center, which manages the coupling of 4 batteries maximum, to obtain 9,200 Wh and more autonomy. Cells can be connected without tools.
Mercury Marine widens its outboard e-motor range
The largest electric ferry in the world is coming
The largest ferry in the world, purchased by the Uruguayan company Buquebus at Incat Tasmania will be equipped with propulsion systems manufactured by Wartsila.
The package of modules, including battery and energy storage system, will be four-time bigger than the one of whatever electric-hybrid ship currently in operation, the Finnish manufacturer explains in a note.
The supply will include a power conversion system, a DC shore-based charging system, 40 MWh battery modules, the DC hub, eight electric motors, eight WXJ1100 axial-flow water jets and ProTouch propulsion control system.
The vessel, 130-metres long, will be delivered in 2025 and will operate between Argentina and Uruguay, carrying 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles.
“The propulsion configuration with eight waterjet thrusters and electric motor is the most efficient currently at disposal on the market by speed range and application type, while boasting all the highlights of the axial flow waterjet technology by Wärtsilä such as low weight and draft, excellent manoeuvrability and low maintenance “, commented Roger Holm, president of the company’s Marine Power division.
From two-wheel-on-road to industrial application
Electrified Automation has launched a new electric motor range. It is EA 193 Series, permanent magnet electric motors that will support a range of applications from two-wheel-on-road to industrial and follow the success of its automated manufacturing technology.
The company affirms they have supplied a product that reaches «the highest performances in a compact package». Moreover, the patented design offers some advantages in terms of sizes, weight and performances for a series of applications.
Jim Winchester, managing director at Electrified Automation said: «For three years we have been challenging conventional electric motor manufacturing methods with our automation technology. We have had an incredible response from customers and automation will always be a cornerstone of our business, but our future is about using this as a platform to take our own motors directly to the market». «We know that one of the primary priorities for OEM is a reliable reactive supply chain able to supply the volumes they wish when they want them. For this reason, we have designed the motor architecture to maximize the automation potential, then it is fully optimized for the mass-production of high-end products», he added.
The company states that it has delivered a product that achieves «maximum performance in a compact package».
Jante, the new electric motor by Cake for light bikes
The new motor by Cake to be introduced into the rear hub designed for light electric motorbikes, with particular reference to offroad models, is called Jante. It is a unit developed from scratch with IPM – Interior Permanent Magnet technology – and conceived to have high performances, permitting to reach speeds exceeding 100 km/h and torque values that surpass 500 Nm in the rear wheel.
In particular, engineers have worked to enable a fluid power delivery with a good thrust already at low speeds and to maintain high torque also at high rotation speeds, the credit goes also to the air-cooling system. The motor can be coupled with batteries equipped with a technology that allows their fast replacement in less than 30 seconds without needing particular tools.
“We are very excited to introduce our new high performance Jante Drivetrain. Jante represents a significant advancement in CAKE’s electric motor design, providing our customers with a superior product that meets their needs for performance, efficiency, and reliability. The biggest reason for our in-house developed motor is to take major steps forward, increasing performance for the category of lightweight electric motorcycles. At the heart of our vehicles everything is based on CAKE components that together deliver performance to the next level. We are happy to see our drivetrain technology being used in a number of bold projects. CAKE battery controller algorithms and more are already in other builds, and the new Jante is a significant addition to our drivetrain technology”, said Stefan Ytterborn, CAKE CEO and Founder.
Zero Motorcycles for each driving licence are arriving in Italy
The pioneer of the two-wheelers electric mobility Zero Motorcycles has announced the arrival in Italy of two new electric motorcycles DS, FXE and S with 15-HP motors, corresponding to 11 kW. Vehicles are designed to offer a versatile accessible experience for the bikers with any experience level: in Italy, to drive an 11-kW electric motorbike the driving licenses A1 or B are sufficient. Zero DS is a light whippy Dual Sport enduro, ideal for the simplest dirt roads and it has an electric motor able to deliver a maximum torque of 109 Nm, besides proposing various advanced technological functions. The total black FXE is ideal for the urban environment due to its innovative ZForce 75-5 motor, whereas the naked S with three-phase electric brushless motor has a maximum autonomy of 359 km in the urban cycle with a single charge.
The Spanish electric scooter Nerva available in Italy
The Spanish brand Nerva has made its debut on the Italian market with its electric scooter Nerva EXE that, in terms of performances, resembles an endothermic 125 DC. The two-wheeler is equipped with brushless electric motor with nominal power of 9 kW, peak power of 12 kW and torque of 48 Nm. Its exclusivity resides in the batteries of BYD brand with LFP 2.88 kWh cells for a total of overall 5.76 kWh.
BYD also carries out the assembly of the whole scooter in its factories, including a 1.8 kW battery charger that allows an energy filling up in 4.2 hours.
Autonomy? The base driving modality is “Eco”, ideal for the urban ambit, it allows reaching an autonomy corresponding to 150 km, with a maximum speed limited to 50 km/h.
The Normal modality allows reaching 80 km/h and relying on a mileage of 115 km, while the Sport modality enables a maximum speed of 125 km/h with autonomy that drops to 75 km.
A state-of-the art hybrid APR is incoming
APR Aerospace has recently presented APR001 – Electric V.01, the new state-of-the-art hybrid APR with vertical take-off and forward flight. The fully electric aircraft is designed for the long-haul transport of payloads up to 10 kg.
Thanks to a cell completely made of composite materials and equipped with 5 electric motors, APR001 combines the performance of vertical take-off and landing that is typical of multirotors with the efficiency of the conventional flight, notably increasing the efficiency and the range.
With a wingspan of 2.90 metres and the use of a single motor for the forward flight, APR001 optimizes the duration of batteries and the operational range. Moreover, thanks to the use of state-of-the-art composite materials, it reaches an excellent ratio between mass and structural characteristics, maintaining a flight weight of just 15 kg and permitting the transport of payloads up to 10 kg without exceeding 25 kg MTOW imposed by the regulation. The range of APR001 can reach 100 km, making it a key tool for a broad range of missions.
Incoming the electric boat by BMW
BMW has recently launched The Icon, a futuristic 13-metre boat – ready for production – equipped with foils and with two motors, designed to extend the batteries’ duration while using less energy with the same speed. The boat exploits a pair of electric 100-kW motors by using the 240 kWh of energy provided by the six batteries of BMW i3. The autonomy reaches over 50 nautical miles, corresponding to about 92 km. The cruise speed on foils is reported at around 24 knots, while the maximum one is estimated in about 30 knots.
Worth highlighting the Electric range (WLTP) of 488–560 in km and the power consumption corresponding to 23.3–20.8 kWh/100 km (combined).
Peter Dengler, head of The Icon project said: «Mobility on water is nearly ten times more energy-intensive than mobility on land. In the meantime, however, professional sailing has come up with solutions for substantially saving energy, paving the way for climate-friendly solutions. The decarbonization of mobility is already taking place in some areas. In other areas, however, there has not yet been innovation, so decarbonization has not even begun. There is currently no equivalent of luxury electric vehicles like the BMW i7 M70 offered on the water».
Electric motor for trailers and V2G bidirectional charge
The Californian startup Range Energy has manufactured a motor to be installed on the trailer of articulated trucks to relieve the effort of the powertrain by reducing its consumption. The secret of the system would lie in the pin that engages the fifth wheel and transmits traction to the trailer while allowing the latter to turn during manoeuvres.
The smart kingpin is equipped with sensors that detect the intensity and the direction of the forces of traction, braking and of curves’ lateral ones. The sensors on the pin detect these forces and their signals, together with others’ they opportunely pilot the electric motor connected with one of the rear axles.
Technical data refer to a 350 kW/476 HP and 14,000 Nm motor and to 200 kWh batteries at 800 volts, with a charge that takes place at 19 kW in AC and up to 350 kW in DC. A gem: this trailer has also the V2G bidirectional charge and then it might be used to power external systems or to balance the net.
Multi-business collaboration for the innovative electric seaplane
Equipmake, a developer of electrified products, has supplied one of its electric transmission systems for the electric SpiritBARTech35E seaplane manufactured by Spirit Yachts and BAR Technologies.
The motor supplied for the project is a tailored HPM-400, fully electric and light with integrated gearbox able to generate a peak power of 80kW.
The e-drivetrain includes also the IGBT HPI-450 inverter by Equipmake and a customized 120kWh battery pack.
Companies have presented the SpiritBARTech35EF as a 10.6 m electric seaplane and, first ship of its kind, with a fast cruising range of 100 nautical miles.
“In the name of all at Equipmake, I am proud of having played a key role with Spirit Yachts and BAR Technologies in this astonishing electric seaplane, which really establishes new standards for long-range electric vessels “, stated Ian Foley, CEO of Equipmake. “Our in-house developed electrification technology has many high-performance applications, from aerospace to automotive, and SpiritBARTech35EF is the perfect showcase of how it can be applied to the steeply rising electric marine market “.