First Hybrid Electric Powered Patrol Boat
According to MetalCraft Marine, Canada, their delivery of Patrol Boat 1 to the City of Annapolis harbormaster in October this year is a first for hybrid electric powered patrol boats.
Caption: The re-powered City of Annapolis harbor patrol boat with hybrid diesel solar waterjet propulsion system.
Image credit: Metalcraft Marine
The harbor patrol boat has an aluminum hull of LOA 23ft (7 m) and 8.6 ft (2.4 m) beam. The re-engined hybrid propulsion system uses a Hamilton 274 waterjet and can propel the boat at 4.5 kn under electric power for five hours from a commercial 48 volt battery pack. Top speed using the 286 hp (214 kW) six cylinder Steyr diesel engine is 30 kn. It also charges the batteries from its 7 kW flywheel generator, and there is an extended solar panel array on top of the deckhouse also providing charging.
The patrol boat is used intensively in the period March through November running 10 to 12 hours daily with an annual usage of 1,500 hours. The batteries have an average life expectancy of around 5 years and cost $2,600 to replace. The benefit however is a fuel saving of about $550 per month, and oil changes reduced to one third. Added to that is less wear to the engine through fewer running hours, less exhaust and noise emissions.
A second vessel, a pump out boat is presently being converted to hybrid operation and is expected to be delivered end January 2012.
The cost of the conversions was helped by a federal grant of $300,000 and an additional $100,000 from the Canadian government.
Caption: The six cylinder turbocharged Steyr MO306
diesel engine is rated at 214 kW (286 hp) at 4,300 rpm
Image Credit: Steyr Motors
aeba22f1-d592-4bf6-bfa7-f752f2715391|0|.0