page_title: Electric boat
section_title: Types
hierarchical_section_title: Electric boat / Types
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: RA 66 Helio auf dem Untersee. Dieser solarbetriebene Ausflugskatamaran ist in Radolfzell beheimatet. English: RA 66 Helio on the Untersee, a part of Lake Constance. The solar-powered catamaran is based in Radolfzell.
context_page_description: While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion engine became dominant. Since the energy crises of the 1970s, interest in this quiet and potentially renewable marine energy source has been increasing steadily, especially as more efficient solar cells have become available, for the first time making possible motorboats with an infinite range like sailboats. The first practical solar boat was probably constructed in 1975 in England. The first electric sailboat to complete a round-the-world tour, including a transit of the Panama Canal, using only green technologies is EcoSailingProject.
context_section_description: There are as many types of electric boat as there are boats with any other method of propulsion, but some types are significant for various reasons.
  Historical and restored electric boats, such as the Mary Gordon Electric Boat, exist and are often important projects for those involved.
  Range anxiety is a common concern for those considering electric propulsion on a boat.  In 2018, the crew of Rigging Doctor on board Wisdom crossed the Atlantic Ocean with an electric motor. 
  Canal, river and lake boats. Electric boats, with their limited range and performance, have tended to be used mostly on inland waterways, where their complete lack of local pollution is a significant advantage. Electric drives are also available as auxiliary propulsion for sailing yachts on inland waters.
  Electric outboards and trolling motors have been available for some years at prices from about $100 (US) up to several thousand. These require external batteries in the bottom of the boat, but are otherwise practical one-piece items. Most available electric outboards are not as efficient as custom drives, but are optimised for their intended use, e.g. for inland waterway fishermen. They are quiet and they do not pollute the water or the air, so they do not scare away or harm fish, birds and other wildlife. Combined with modern waterproof battery packs, electric outboards are also ideal for yacht tenders and other inshore pleasure boats.
  Cruising yachts usually have an auxiliary engine, and there are two main uses for it: One is to power ahead or motor-sail at sea when the wind is light or from the wrong direction. The other is to provide the last 10 minutes or so of propulsion when the boat is in port and needs to be manoeuvred into a tight berth in a crowded and confined marina or harbour. Electric propulsion is not suitable for prolonged cruising at full power although the power required to motor slowly in light airs and calm seas is small. Regarding the second case, electric drives are ideally suited as they can be finely controlled and can provide substantial power for short periods of time.
  Commercial ferries:
  Norway's  first battery-electric ferry is MV Ampere, with capacity for 120 cars and 12 trucks. As of November 2016, it has operated for 106,000 km. Its battery holds 1 MWh of energy, but the 9-minute charge time is sometimes not enough, and more battery capacity is to be installed. Norway has scheduled several other electric ferry projects. Based on operational data, Siemens concludes in a life cycle analysis that 61 of Norway's 112 diesel ferry routes could be replaced by electric ferries with a payback time of 5 years. The analysis includes auxiliary costs such as chargers, grid, and so on.
  In Finland Föri, the historic Turku city ferry across the Aura River to Abo, was converted to all-electric propulsion in April 2017. The vessel was introduced as a wood-burning steam ferry in 1904, converted to diesel operation in 1955 and now provides a continuous daily service from 0615 to late evening for foot and cycle passengers on battery power. Charging takes place at night.
  Other projects are considered in Canada, Sweden and Denmark.
  India's First Solar Ferry, a 75-passenger boat, that is powered by sun and grid charging with lithium batteries, is under construction and expected to be in operation by July, 2016. Based on the predictions of consumption the payback time is 3 years.
  In ferry charging systems, when ferry is in the docking position the charging pantograph connects during a few seconds to the onboard unit and the loading of the battery starts.
  On the other hand, ferries can include, sometimes free, charging points for the passengers' transported electric bicycle, electric motorcycles and electric cars.
  Diesel-electric hybrid: There is a third potential use for a diesel auxiliary and that is to charge the batteries, when they suddenly start to wane far from shore in the middle of the night, or at anchor after some days of living aboard. In this case, where this kind of use is to be expected, perhaps on a larger cruising yacht, then a
caption: RA66 Helio is a solar-powered 20 m catamaran cruising on the Untersee, a part of Lake Constance. It is based in Radolfzell, Germany.
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