The boat is a classic Beneteau, on which ZF Marine of Arco, a company of German multinational ZF, has installed a battery-powered electric motor and control software with a revolutionary steering system using a simple joystick.
ZF’s 100% green sailboat makes use of a research centre highly experienced in mechanics, one of the leading research and development centres on easy boating and in the field of electric propulsion.
The upcoming “New Control Platform” research project for the development of high-tech electronic components has been financed with provincial funds for industrial research and will be run jointly by ZF Padova (another ZF Group site) and Trentino Sviluppo.
The hardware design, software development, prototyping and functional validation of specific electronic and mechatronic components will take place at the ProM Facility laboratories, in close collaboration with the research and development team at ZF Padova’s Arco headquarters.
The areas of research will focus on:
- new generation of steering systems
- new platform of controls
- developments in electric propulsion, combining the new generation of mechanics with the new platform of controls.
The advantages of an electric-powered boat are significant both in terms of environmental impact and boating experience.
An electric boat is quiet, easy to control, pleases even “anti-motor” customers such as sailors and, above all, it does not pollute.
Its costs, despite the use of batteries, are competitive compared to a traditionally propelled boat.