Electric Drive System for Catamaran

Unique Mobility, a developer of alternative energy technologies, announced that it has been selected by Atlantis Yachts Incorporated of Delta (British Columbia, Canada), to provide an electric drive system as an option to the boat manufacturer’s diesel-powered line of power catamarans. Atlantis will install Unique Mobility’s brushless permanent magnet motors in the Manta 5200 Power Catamaran at its boatyard in Delta. Sea trials will be completed at the end of August.

The 52-foot Manta is normally powered by twin diesel engines. It achieves top speeds of 28 knots and cruises at 20 knots. The UQM SR-218N motor and controller drive system makes it possible to operate the Power Catamaran as a mild parallel hybrid, where both electric and diesel engines operate in unison or separately in the vessel. Engineering studies have indicated that the UQM electric drive option will propel the boat at speeds up to 9 knots. The UQM drives and the diesel engines are both coupled to the propeller shafts and can move the vessel independently or as a team.

By disengaging the diesel engines, the efficient electric drives move the boat without noise or pollution. The result is a fuel-efficient catamaran that is quiet and environmentally clean. When the diesel power plants are started and both drives engaged, the UQM drives can then function as generators to charge the battery pack and run on-board auxiliaries or as motors to assist the diesel propulsion.