There is no question that the world is moving towards electric solutions, and yachts are not exempt from this. There has been a huge rise in interest in electric propulsion solutions amongst the international sailing community, and now there is exciting news for Australia; Oceanvolt, the global market leaders in electric propulsion, have officially re-entered the Australian market.
After their initial entry to Australia around seven years ago, Oceanvolt decided to pause their focus on expansion and instead concentrate on developing their products and establishing their dominance of the European market. Having now refined their products, established numerous relationships with renowned boatbuilders such as X-Yachts, Arcona Yachts, Salona Yachts, etc. and hiring native Australian Oliver Hartas to manage the market, Oceanvolt are now confident that the timing is right to re-enter the market amid the recent rise in interest surrounding electric propulsion.
Oceanvolt have also taken steps to ensure that their products, which are produced in their new premises in Finland, are able to meet the demands of the Australian market and environment. For example, Oceanvolt are excited to introduce new, upgraded cooling systems designed specifically for the warmer environment, to ensure that their motors can continue to operate in the harsh Australian climate.
There are multiple different companies to choose from when it comes to electric propulsion, each with their own pros and cons, but Oceanvolt are proud that their modular AXC shaft drive motors, SD saildrive range and, of course, their patented ServoProp variable pitch saildrive, are all designed specifically for use in boats and yachts, and are not simply industrial or agricultural motors that have been repurposed.
Oceanvolt are also keeping the customers safety in mind, not only by keeping all their systems limited to 48 V, but also by offering complete system integration. In addition to offering propulsion motors, Oceanvolt can help tailor the battery storage, power management and even generator integration entirely to each customer’s needs.
Furthermore, a standard feature of all Oceanvolt motors is the hydrogeneration function, which is the ability to turn your motor into an electricity generator at the press of a button. When under sail, users can activate this regeneration mode, which causes the prop to start turning under the influence of the water moving past. This generates electricity and recharges the batteries for free. The award winning Oceanvolt ServoProp system has been specifically designed to maximise the benefits of regeneration, and with a ServoProp 15 model, recovering 3 kW of power at speeds of 10 knots is fairly common, with some boats regularly generating up to 5 kW.
Oceanvolt systems are perfect for boats and yachts between 20 and 75 feet in length, with a range of different power options available in both shaft drive and saildrive systems. The AX system is the smallest product in the range, offering either 3, 5 or 8 kW of power from the air-cooled motor through a shaft.
The larger shaft drive option is the AXC modular motor system, where each motor unit produces 12 kW continuous power with a peak power of 15 kW. Stacking two of these motors together creates the AXC24, which can produce a peak of 30 kW for 15 mins, and 24 kW continuously.
Finally, the AXC36 comprises of three motor units stacked together to continuously supply 36 kW to a single shaft. But as with all electric motors, the torque figure is what is more impressive, with the AXC36 capable of producing such impressive torque that to achieve similar torque figures from a diesel engine would require a unit producing over 120 hp, and weighing more than four times as much as the 132 kg of the AXC36 motor.
In the saildrive range, Oceanvolt currently offers systems producing 6, 8, 10 and 15 kW of power, with the ServoProp system available in 10 or 15 kW options. Both SD saildrive and ServoProp systems can be supplied with flexmount brackets that are compatible with both Yanmar and standard Volvo Penta saildrive mounts, offering a simply bolt-in solution with minimal additional work required to upgrade from diesel to electric propulsion.The standard SD saildrive range is designed for use with folding props from manufacturers such as Gori or Flex-o-fold. However, the ServoProp motors are the best-sellers for Oceanvolt.
Entirely designed and manufactured by Oceanvolt in Finland, this groundbreaking technology pushes the boundaries on sustainable yachting, and has been adopted by many high profile yachts around the world. With its variable pitch propeller, with bespoke blade design and high-efficiency gearbox, ServoProp eliminates the common compromises in traditional folding prop setups. Being more than 30% more efficient in forward thrust, 100% more efficient in reverse thrust and 300% more efficient in regeneration compared to folding props, the Oceanvolt ServoProp is the market leader in saildrive electric propulsion for a reason.
There is also more exciting news coming from Oceanvolt in 2023, with their planned release of their all new HighPower ServoProp. Capable of producing 30 kW of propulsion power from a 48 V system is impressive enough, but as with their other ServoProp systems, the hydrogeneration has been prioritised, with preliminary tests showing significant improvements over anything else in the market. More details on this exciting new product will be released shortly, but in the meantime, if you are interested in riding the electric wave and futureproofing your yacht by installing an electric propulsion system, check out the Oceanvolt website, their online configurator, or contact Oliver directly at oliver.hartas@oceanvolt.com
