Nimbus Boats now powered by electricity

Today the boat builders, Nimbus Boats, revealed the world’s first electrically powered boat for the commercial market. Nimbus 27 E-power is 27 feet long, has a cruising speed of 22 knots and takes 4 hours for a full charge.

The price of a “full tank”: 5 euro (approx $10 AUD).

‘We are the first boat builders in the world to take a large, electrically powered boat from the drawing board to the market,’ said Nimbus Boats managing director, Magnus Andersson.

Nimbus 27 E-power has been developed in collaboration with Electroengine AB, a company that develops solutions for electrical power in different kinds of vehicle, including private cars. ‘Nimbus shall be the best in the world in the environment segment. The electrically powered boat establishes our lead. We are now showing the way in the development of pro-environmental boats, without losing any comfort or performance,’ said Magnus Andersson.

Performance is close to fossil fuel driven boats. A fully charged Nimbus 27 E-power has a range of up to 20 nautical miles, or 37 kilometres, at a cruising speed of 22 knots. Top speed is 27 knots. The lifetime of the batteries is calculated at 3000 charges, or more than 10 years’ use. ‘The new generation of batteries, which will be with us soon, will probably allow us to double the range.

The electrically powered boat will then become a serious contender for fossil fuel driven boats,’ said Thomas Bergfjord, managing director Electroengine AB, and expects the electrically powered engine to become the engine of the future on both land and sea.

‘The electrically powered boat gives out zero emissions when being driven by electricity and far less maintenance is needed than for a diesel engine. The batteries charge up in three hours from a 3-phase 400V/32 A power point, and can also be charged using a standard 220V power point in 28 hours.

Magnus expects interest in the electrically powered boat to be considerable, although because up until now there has been no feasible alternative, there’s not much data to go on. ‘By creating a new market and developing the pro-environmental boats of the future we are taking a premeditated risk.

Initially, the price is going to be 30 to 40 percent higher than for an equivalent diesel powered boat, but because running and maintenance costs are much lower, the Nimbus 27 E-power will, in the long term, be a good buy and good for the environment.

The Nimbus 27 E-power will be built at the Nimbus Boats yards in Mariestad, Storebro and Ryds. ‘The technology is not confined to Nimbus 27 E-power, but can be fitted in our other boat brands, such as Ryds and Paragon. And we hope that this will come to be so,’ said Magnus Andersson.