ELECTRIFICATION IN SUPERYACHTS “Aside from components, we also rethink the way [an electrified] boat is used“ Yann Dabbadie, technical manager, Southern Wind The first Southern Wind project to be conceived as a hybrid is the SW108#01 Gelliceaux. The 32m craft has a pair of 112kW generators, a 650V high-voltage lithium battery bank and a 205kW electric propulsion motor “High-performing, compact electric motors allow freedom from endothermic engines and their auxiliary systems,” Cardini adds. “The technical rooms can be distributed in strategic areas of the vessel. This allows the designer freedom to choose the most optimal layout.” Jefferson agrees there is more design flexibility with electrified propulsion: “It definitely gives you more flexibility on the operational side, because you have four different systems to move the boat, especially on a catamaran – two main engines, two e-motors, two small generators and a battery bank. There is a lot of redundancy, which makes sense with long-range operations or standalone time. “Styling also needs to be considered,” he adds. “Integrating solar panels was a challenge visually, and you have to optimize for different operational ranges, so pushing toward electrification does have a big impact. Our lift flybridge roof allowed us to optimize the solar power generation when the flybridge was not in use.” The WiderCat 92 is equipped with a serial hybrid propulsion system, and is capable of running in zero-emission mode New approaches Designing a superyacht around an electrified propulsion unit does require a different perspective from more conventional craft (see Different by design , opposite), explains Yann Dabbadie, technical manager at Southern Wind. “A diesel-electric propulsion system is approached completely differently from a standard diesel system. We have high-voltage cables, a glycol cooling system and a CANbus system for information and control,” Dabbadie says, adding that this mostly impacts engine room design. “We have to go into finer details for equipment placement and installation. Aside 46 // April 2024 // ElectricHybridMarineTechnology.com