METSTRADE 2023, the world’s largest trade exhibition of marine equipment, announced that the HighPower ServoProp 25 from Oceanvolt has won this year’s DAME Design Awards.
The 2023 DAME Design Awards saw the highest number of electric propulsion entries in the 32 years the competition has been run. Oceanco won the propulsion category back in 2017 for an electric sail drive. Winning the overall award in 2023 shows just how far Oceanvolt’s innovation and electric drive products have come.
“As the DAME Awards showed this year the market is already becoming accustomed to electric propulsion with many new product entries,” said ServoProp Commercial Manager Alec von Weissenberg. “It isn’t enough to produce an electric motor with a drive. We wanted to provide fresh ideas, extra features and versatility for boat builders and users, enabling more choice over how they operate the system.”
Weissenberg also mentioned that while stock electric motors are available, few if any spin a propeller shaft efficiently. Therefore, the design team at Oceanvolt designed and produced components themselves. According to a statement from Weissenberg, the team used “computational fluid dynamics to refine the efficiency of the leg.”
The propulsion system has a maximum power of 48V DC and can be installed forward or aft facing. Weissenberg noted that it is more efficient to have the prop facing forward.
To further improve the functionality of the propulsion system, Oceanvolt engineered a seawater-fed cooling circuit. Oceanvolt notes that electric engines cannot be overcooled and run better the cooler they are.
The ServoProp 25 was designed for boats between 45 and 70 feet, but with Oceanvolt continuing to innovate, an electric propulsion system for smaller boats may be in store.
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