Yanmar Marine has unveiled its first-ever electric drive.
The all-new E-Saildrive will represent the company's first foray into electric propulsion and is designed for sailboats under 40 feet.
Given Yanmar's large market share with gas-powered engines in the recreational powerboating market, it would seem likely that larger units are in development that will eventually crossover into the powerboat market.
Floris Lettinga, Director of Sales and Marketing at YANMAR Marine International, said: “The launch of the E-Saildrive is a significant moment in our aim to reduce the environmental impact of sailing. Our integrated system has a host of innovative features to provide boaters an easy switch to 100% emissions free sailing. We are confident in the E-Saildrive’s engineering and will work with our network of dealers and distributors to ensure that technical support is available worldwide.”
Launched globally at Cannes Yachting Festival and Newport International Boat Show, the E-Saildrive range utilizes a ‘plug and play’ platform for easy installation and connection. This, combined with an integrated gear, motor, motor controller, and cooling system, makes the switch to 100% electric boating easier and quicker.
Installation and connection are simple. The E-Saildrive is available in three models – the SDe7, the SDe10 and the SDe15, delivering up to 15kW of power for sailboats under 40ft (depending on application and displacement).
The drive is a drop-in replacement for a YANMAR YM engine, one of the most popular sailboat engines. No hull modifications are needed – making it easy for the boatbuilder to offer interchangeably or introduce an SDe refit. The power of choice is with the customer.
As one of the world’s most established marine engine manufacturers, YANMAR is renowned for the reliability and performance of its HVO-approved combustion engines and the E-Saildrive series is designed to this same standard of engineering.
Matching the advancements of the E-Saildrive is a new control system. The display unit is a bright and colorful 4.3” optically bonded TFT display with IPX7 waterproof rating, and anti-fog coating. Control heads are available as a side mount or top mount with a modern alloy design.
With minimal maintenance compared to a combustion engine and access to the existing YANMAR global support network of 2,000 distributors and dealers in over 130 countries, it offers a solution for those new to boating and the more experienced sailor.
You can watch a full breakdown of the E-Saildrive directly from Yanmar in the video below:
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