Electric Boat Market and Technologies
How can we help?
Road transportation electrification has advanced rapidly during the last 15 years. A big reason has been the technology development in motors, electronics and especially batteries. Now we can also use this technology for watercraft electrification. This will be the next wild ride. Welcome aboard!
Strategic consulting and advisory services
Electrification is a tremendous opportunity for watercraft, but we need to make sure we have the right plans and strategies in place. We have provided strategic electrification consulting and advisory services since 2010. This market changes rapidly, so our job is to stay on top of market developments and dynamics while understanding evolving customer expectations. We do not advise by looking in the rearview mirror, but rather by taking a look at where the market is heading. Shift2Electric has been working with electric boats since 2019.
Training and education
Does your team speak electric fluently? Over the last 15 years, we have led hundreds of electrification presentations and workshops. We can provide everything from a 30-minute Electric Boat 101 course or market update to a full-day Electric Boat Market and Technologies Workshop. Our trainings are always tailored to the audience, taking into account interests and familiarity with the topics. We can provide our trainings in person or online using virtual meeting and learning platforms.
Technology consulting
Photo credit: Oceanvolt
Jukka Kukkonen is an automotive engineer and has 15 years of experience with EV technologies including teaching an EV Market and Technologies course at the University of St Thomas. Electric boat technologies are based in EV tech, but do differ from automotive technologies in many ways. One interesting trend for small boats is the usage of relatively low voltage solutions compared to automotive applications. In many ways, this works well for electric watercraft, but also requires quite different technology solutions.
Photo credit: VeneilySaimaa
Program development advisory
Whether you are a boat manufacturer, dealer, systems integrator, marina owner, boating destination host, DCFC solutions provider, utility company or advocacy organization working on advancing electrification to watercraft, we are here to help. Our experience with transportation electrification combined with our electric boat market knowledge means that we can help you find right approach. In addition to staying on top of market developments, we connect frequently with existing electric boat owners; which gives us valuable insight into what people expect from their boats and charging solutions.
Charging infrastructure solutions
Just like EVs, most electric boat charging happens overnight where the boat is docked. This can still be called home charging. Charging solutions are also very similar to EVs, but there are certain differences. In addition to "home charging" there is also a need for public charging, both Level 2 and DC Fast Charging. Where should you install what and when? How to build shared resources that serve multiple users? How to future proof your installations? There is no single answer to any of these questions, but we can work with you to find solutions that work for your situation.
New technologies
Electric boats use different energy sources and powertrain technologies, but also challenge many traditional design approaches. Since batteries are less energy dense than gasoline, we need to find more efficient ways to move on the water. This means even smoother hull designs and mass production of foil technology hulls. We will also see more advanced controls and new technologies to increase the overall system energy efficiencies. Renewable energy production systems integrated into boats will also provide new freedom to boat owners.
New opportunities
Watercraft electrification provides many new opportunities. Quiet powertrains and lack of local emissions will draw new people to boating. Charging infrastructure solutions are needed to power these boats. Many shoreline locations can start to draw new customers to enjoy their services and local boat cruises. These boats also have big batteries that during the off season can be used to support household needs or the local grid as stationary storage devices.
Repowering existing boats
Electric conversions to existing cars turned out to be too complicated, but this is much more manageable for boats. The main components to be removed are the motor, gas tank and traditional controls. These are replaced by electric motor, controller, battery, charging equipment and new digital controls. Depending on the battery size you might need to add some weight to the boat, but thanks to more battery options there are often opportunities to balance the weight distribution and install that weight quite low in the boat. This can even improve some characteristics of the watercraft.
