Volvo Penta's electric propulsion system

🌊 VOLVO PENTA ELECTRIC MARINE PROPULSION

Volvo Penta announced an all-electric version of its IPS marine propulsion system at the end of May 2025. A staged launch begins with the IPS900E in the fourth quarter of 2025, followed by the IPS650E. The program targets commercial workboats and large leisure craft that need zero-emission operation during harbor transits and offshore transfers.

The IPS Electric range keeps the forward-facing pod, steer-by-wire controls, and the Electronic Vessel Control suite. A permanent-magnet motor replaces the diesel engine. The driveline runs on a 770-volt DC bus that links to an Energy Management System for drive-mode selection, system health, and power sharing with modular battery packs or optional gensets.

Flagship IPS900E delivers 515 kW (691 hp) at 2,250 rpm. Rated torque reaches about 2 186 N·m at that speed. Dry weight, including the IPS30 pod, is 1 485 kg. The unit pairs with Q-series propellers and supports vessel sprint speeds from 19 to 40 kn. Nominal traction voltage is 770 V DC.

IPS650E is rated at 374 kW (501 hp). Using the same speed point, torque calculates to roughly 1 587 N·m. Production starts in 2025 for boats in the 45- to 55-ft range. Weight and detailed pod match data await release, but the model shares the same high-voltage architecture and control suite.

Volvo Penta plans to electrify all five IPS drivelines, yielding outputs from 220 kW to 1.1 MW per pod and up to 4.5 MW in quad installations. Twin, triple, and quad layouts will cover crew-transfer vessels, offshore service craft, and displacement yachts that need quiet running and strict emission compliance.

Read more here.

⚓️ E1 RACE RECAP

The third stop of the 2025 UIM E1 World Championship ran yesterday, 14 June, in Dubrovnik. Thousands lined the Old-Town seawall to watch nine identical RaceBird foiling runabouts skim a tight 600-m course between Lokrum Island and the medieval ramparts. Aoki Racing Team’s Dani Clos captured the Grand Final to move the DJ-backed squad to the top of the season standings.

Each RaceBird is a 7 m carbon-fibre hydrofoil with a single seat, 35 kWh Kreisel immersion-cooled battery, and a 150 kW Mercury Racing electric outboard. Foils lift at 17 kn; top speed is 50 kn (58 mph). Bare boat weight is about 800 kg and a four-lap heat drains roughly 60 % of the pack.

Round-by-round results:

• Session 1 – Qualifying Time-Trials: Team Rafa (Cris Lazarraga/Tom Chiappe) set the quickest single-lap benchmark; Aoki Racing and Team AlUla followed.

• Session 2 – Qualifying Race for pole: Team AlUla (Rusty Wyatt/Catie Munnings) won its head-to-head heat to secure first grid choice for race day.

• Session 3 – Group Races: Aoki Racing and Team Brady won their respective groups, while Team AlUla and Team Rafa advanced on time as fastest runners-up.

• Session 4 – Place Race & Race-Off: Remaining teams sorted fifth through ninth; official sheets were not yet published at press time.

• Session 5 – Grand Final (4 laps, 1 long-lap, 1 short-lap): 1. Aoki Racing Team – Dani Clos/Mashael Alobaidan, 2. Team Brady – Sam Coleman/Emma Kimiläinen, 3. Team AlUla – Rusty Wyatt/Catie Munnings, 4. Team Rafa – Cris Lazarraga/Tom Chiappe

Aoki’s second win of the season edges the squad six points clear of Nadal’s Team Rafa heading into Lake Maggiore on 27-28 June.

🖌️ FOIL ASSIST TESTING

eD-TEC has started on-water trials of a Foil Assist lifting wing from Dutch specialist HullVane on the eD32 Ultra demonstrator RIB. The mid-ship foil is sized to trim drag and soften vertical motion without shifting the boat into full hydro-foiling flight. Computational studies for the programme predicted drag cuts above 30 percent at planing speeds near 50 knots.

The test platform is a 9.5 metre carbon RIB that carries two 200 kW eD-QDrive surface drives and a 105 kWh battery pack. The crew logged baseline resistance figures with and without the wing and confirmed that the electric drivetrain met target power and thermal limits. Upcoming sessions will adjust foil geometry and mounting height before fresh measurements are taken.

eD-TEC: The German start-up was founded by former Volkswagen Group strategist Michael Jost. Its core product, the modular eD-QDrive, scales from 50 kW to 2.4 MW, with integrated cooling, gearbox and cloud-linked control. The company frames the eD-32 Ultra as proof that high-speed electric craft can match combustion peers on excitement while cutting local emissions. Data from each run feeds a digital development loop that guides design revisions.

HullVane: HullVane BV grew out of hydrodynamic work by Van Oossanen Naval Architects in Wageningen. Its stern-mounted Hull Vane wing has logged fuel savings of five to twenty percent on displacement ships. Foil Assist applies the same lift-for-drag principle to fast planing hulls through a passive stainless or composite wing fixed amidships. Each foil is custom-shaped through CFD to fit hull form and duty cycle.

Partnership outlook: By pairing an electric surface-drive platform with a passive lifting foil, the team seeks longer cruising range, lower impact loads and a smoother ride for patrol, yacht-tender and chase-boat roles. eD-TEC shares trial data on social channels to invite feedback from naval architects and the wider performance-boating community. Follow-up runs later this season will show whether the refined foil delivers the predicted gains and sets a template for retrofit packages on other high-speed craft.

🛝 SOLAR-ELECTRIC CATAMARAN

Revolution Marine Group has lifted the curtain on the Oceanwalker S60e, a 60-foot solar-electric power catamaran aimed at owners who want quiet cruising without giving up oceangoing range. Announced on 9 June, the first hull is already in build at the Fujian Sky Walker yard in Zhangzhou, China, and is earmarked for delivery to Club Ki’ama Bahamas in April 2026.

The S60e keeps the beamy (27 ft 6 in / 8.38 m) composite platform of Oceanwalker’s earlier diesel-hybrid model but swaps its mechanical driveline for twin 150 kW (200 hp) permanent-magnet electric motors. A 10 kW photovoltaic array on the coachroof feeds a lithium-iron-phosphate battery bank sized at ≈80 kWh—enough to run “hotel” loads such as air-conditioning overnight with no generator use.

For blue-water passages the yacht carries two 45 kW diesel gensets that act as range extenders, pushing maximum endurance to about 800 nautical miles at the optimum 7–8 kn cruising speed. Electric-only operation remains available for harbour manoeuvres or eco-sensitive anchorages, where near-silent running and zero local emissions are desirable.

Owners can choose a three- or four-cabin layout with up to five heads, plus a full-beam saloon and a flybridge fitted with wet-bar and sun-lounge. A hydraulic beach club platform doubles as tender lift, and wide side decks allow safe fore-and-aft circulation even under way. Tankage includes 8 000 L of fuel (for the gensets) and 800 L of fresh water. Displacement is listed at 42 t with a shallow 3 ft draft, enabling access to thin-water destinations in the Bahamas or Pacific atolls.

Performance snapshot

The S60e joins a fast-growing field of solar-electric multihulls led by Sunreef, Silent Yachts, and Fountaine Pajot. Oceanwalker’s differentiator is its generator-backed, cruiser-friendly range, which removes “range anxiety” without abandoning zero-emission capability in day-to-day use. With build supervision handled in-house and a price point expected to undercut European rivals of similar size, the model gives buyers another path toward low-impact long-distance yachting.

Here is an article on the S60e.