E-Line Bundle

E-LINE and E-POD electric propulsion.
The pioneer of electric propulsion is back! VETUS introduces a completely new electric propulsion package twenty years after introducing the EP2200. With our improved all in one solution, VETUS honours the title “Creator of Boat Systems”. The newly introduced system group “Electric Propulsion” creates a total package, consisting of different modules.

Control the boat like you’re used to, with only the sound of the water

During the development of the systems, the sailing experience of the electric motor is designed in such a way that it is as close as possible to that of sailing with an internal combustion engine - but of course without the emissions and noise! On this page several of the unique benefits of the VETUS Electric Propulsion system are described.

Active Electronic Braking
The E-LINE motor and E-POD system accelerate more powerful and faster than a diesel engine. In addition, gearbox and clutch are not required for the electric propulsion system. This means that when reversing the propeller, the complete high speed electric motor has to immediately come to a full stop and then rotate in the opposite direction. To enable a quick reverse power manoeuvre like with a clutch, VETUS has developed Active Electronic Braking for the E-LINE and E-POD e-drive systems. The high torque of the electric motor is used to change the direction of rotation quickly and actively. With Active Electronic Braking, it is possible to stop the boat within one boat length if necessary. Full control, a familiar way of sailing, with the advantages of the electric motor with high starting torque.

Battery Protection function
The Battery Protection function of the VETUS electric propulsion motor also ensures that the battery pack is not unnecessarily damaged, and the service life cycle of the batteries is guarded for the present and future boating seasons. Draining a battery pack below the specified minimal voltage will damage the batteries and reduce the life span. To prevent this the Motor Controller of the VETUS e-drives actively monitors the battery pack state of charge by verifying voltage and current draw.

Boosted Battery Charge function
Another unique feature of the VETUS e-drive motors is the patent pending Boosted Battery Charge function. Using the Boosted Battery Charge function a 24 volt charger can be used to charge up the required 48 volt battery pack for propulsion. This is an economic advantage as the 24 volt battery charger is more common. Plus this allows the boat builder an easy way to provide a low voltage 24 V electric board network.

How long can you sail then? A full day with ease!
A long day on the water with peace of mind, now and in the future Thanks to the cleverly applied liquid cooling, you get the maximum power from the motor and the maximum range from the batteries. A full day on the water without any limitations. With the monitoring panels, the energy levels are easy to gauge and with
the right battery pack you can sail all day long.

VETUS’ view of electric boating is compact, complete, very efficient, plug & play and suitable for both new and existing vessels. The VETUS electric propulsion system functions with our V-CAN bus system and meets emission requirements. Noiseless, infinitely adjustable and equipped with comprehensive protection against overload: the ideal companion for a comfortable trip!

Creators of Electric Propulsion Systems
The Electric Boating system consists of five modules. Within each of the five modules, multiple choices and combinations are possible. This makes it possible to
select the best total package for each type of boat.

The system blocks are:
1. Propulsion
2. Control
3. Monitoring
4. Energy storage
5. Energy supply

For the E-LINE inboard motor VETUS offers the complete stern gear system,. Selecting the right propeller to match the boat and desired speed is essential. Contact us for propeller calculations.

MODULE: PROPULSION
The heart of the system is the motor. Connected via the modular digital CAN-bus communication system V-CAN. Quiet, reliable and low-maintenance sailing.

VETUS offers the E-LINE in-line propeller shaft solutions and the innovative compact E-POD solution. Below an indication which type of electric VETUS motor system suits which size boat. Please note that this is a rough guideline. The motor selection depends on multiple parameters such as hull shape, please feel free to contact us for detailed advice.

E-LINE motor range is designed to be compact and fit the existing propulsion foundation and propeller shaft installation. The supplied Swap & Go mounting brackets with motor mounts can easily be adjusted in height and set to angle the shaft to 0° or 8°. This makes the re-powering and connecting to an existing propeller shaft easy. The included motor mounts are specially developed for electric propulsion motors.

The E-POD combines the motor, suspension, cooling, gearbox, clutch, propeller shaft, propeller, all into one complete system. This space saving solution makes the engine box and propeller shaft through the boat redundant. Opening up the floor space. This makes a completely new boat design possible.

Both the E-LINE and the E-POD motors have been developed for an optimal boating experience with the control as a combustion engine - but without the emission and noise. The E-LINE and E-POD let you enjoy nature at its best.

The hull speed, also known as limit speed, is the maximum speed at which a boat can sail. When a displacement boat reaches the hull speed, the speed no longer increases, regardless of the increase in propulsion power. This can be explained by the bow wave. A boat cannot overtake its own bow wave. By adding more power at maximum hull speed, the bow wave becomes larger, more energy is used, more water is displaced, but no increase in speed is gained.

Below is a table with the different speeds per boat length and corresponding consumption power as reference only. Knowing that every boat is different, this calculation is based on a theoretical standard displacement vessel and propeller.

The battery pack used for the calculation is an 440 Ah, 48V VETUS AGM deep cycle pack. This 440 Ah pack has about 14,8 kWh nett. usable energy and can be charged overnight with a light 6A shore connection. In many countries, the shore connections go up to 16A, in which case charging can take place 2.5 times faster.

Note that the available boating time exponentially increases when the speed is reduced below hull speed or limit speed. A full day continuously on the move is possible. How long can you sail? A full day with ease!

MODULE: CONTROL
The VETUS e-drives (E-LINE and E-POD) work with V-CAN as do the VETUS proportional thrusters (BOW PRO). This in-house designed data traffic solution ensures less cables through your boat, robust reliable control and simple expandability.

Key switch for e-drives
MPE1KB key switch - all-in-one solution; V-CAN power supply, 12V cooling pump power supply and anti-theft. Engaging the V-CAN line and 12V cooling pump by the turn of the key.

Specifications

Compact design and high quality materials
Stylish designed aluminium bezel (85 x 85 mm)
Quick installation in Ø 75 mm cut-out hole
Can be installed in double frame (XTASF2P 167,5 x 85 mm)
Waterproof IP65 when mounted
V-CAN CANBUS protocol certified
Input wires 12V
Reverse polarity protection for V-CAN output
Switched output V-CAN connector 12 V, fuse protected 5 A max.
Switched output 12 V, fuse protected 30 A max.
With LED indication when engaged
 

Control lever for e-drives
The E-LINE and E-POD are controlled by the ELPS side mounted V-CAN control lever. The panel has a neutral safety switch as standard, which prevents the
motor from being started when the propulsion thrust is engaged.

This control lever enables three propulsion control modes; NORMAL, ECO and POWER mode. By pressing the ECO mode the maximum output power of the e-drive is limited. When in ECO the POWER mode is not available. Switching of the ECO mode, the e-drive is in NORMAL mode. Pressing the POWER button unleashes the electric peak power kick for those fast manoeuvres.

Specifications

• Start/Stop Command button with LED status indication
• ECO mode latching button for increased range
• POWER (PWR) mode button to unleash full electric power
• LED and audible indication on e-drive status
• Safe and easy proportional control of your vessel
• High quality materials
• Stylish designed aluminium bezel (154 x 100 mm)
• Waterproof IP65 when mounted
• V-CAN CANBUS protocol certified
• Twin connector for multiple stations

 MODULE: MONITORING

To monitor the e-drive status, warning and alarms there are multiple options. To see the most important instances at a glance the MPE1MB V-CAN monitoring panel can be used. To see the rich digital information available on the digital CANbus line, the NMEA2000 connected solution can be selected. By using the CANV2N CANverter messages on the V-CAN line are translated towards NMEA2000 and can be displayed on NMEA2000 devices.

Monitoring panel for e-drives
MPE1MB monitoring panel - important instances insight; the electric monitoring dashboard instrument. Clear LED light indication of V-CAN electric propulsion activities.

Specifications

• Compact design and high quality materials
• Stylish designed aluminium bezel (85 x 85 mm)
• Quick installation in Ø 75 mm cut-out hole
• Can be installed in double frame (XTASF2P 167,5 x 85 mm)
• Waterproof IP65 when mounted
• Control and warning lights; Propulsion active, POWER mode, temperature, limiting power alarm, battery level indication (4 levels), high current draw, low voltage, charging active indication
• V-CAN CANBUS protocol certified
• Twin connectors for multiple stations

NMEA2000 monitoring solution for e-drives
VETUS is actively involved with NMEA2000 to enable electric propulsion data visible on NMEA2000. Using the VETUS CANverter (CANV2N1) the V-CAN line can be connected to an NMEA2000 CAN-BUS line. When connecting an NMEA2000 display a set of parameters can be displayed, for example the rpm and temperatures.

Connecting a NMEA2000 shunt provides a view on of the remaining battery charge percentage. Knowing the consumed power and remaining battery charge enables a calculation on remaining time when continuing at the current speed. As seen before, keeping the power around cruising speed or calm paced increases the battery usage time exponentially.

MODULE: ENERGY STORAGE
To get the boat moving energy is needed. For Electric Propulsion instead of a tank, filters, hoses, etc a battery bank with nominal voltage 48 volts is required. For electric propulsion VETUS offers AGM deep cycle and lithium batteries (on request only).

To calculate the required battery pack for your boat the following data is important:
• Desired usage and vessel specifications, such as boat length and average boating speed
This data is to be used to calculate the average required consumption input power in kW per hour. For a combustion engine this would be the fuel consumption ratio of the boat.
Note that the designed hull speed, design cruising speed of the boat and actual usage are important values here. An indicative calculation of a standard water displacement boat of 6 meters (1,1 tons) shows the following data:

• Energy consumption 0,7 kW @ paced of 6 km/h (3,3 knts)
• Energy consumption 2,1 kW @ paced of 8,8 km/h (4,7 knts)
• Energy consumption 4,1 kW @ paced of 11 km/h (5,9 knts)

Slightly reducing average speeds exponentially increases available boating range due to water displacement hull design.

• Type of battery. For example AGM deep cycle, lithium
  An VETUS AGM deep cycle can be discharged up to 70%.

Example
440 Ah @ 48 V is a battery pack of 8x AGM 220Ah 12V and gives a total battery pack of (440 Ah x 48 V x 70%) 14,8 kWh nett. usable energy capacity. With an energy consumption of 2,1 kW, this would give a total continuous sailing time of (14,8 / 2,1 =) over 7 hours.

MODULE: ENERGY SUPPLY
What filling up the tank is for combustion engine systems, charging the batteries is for an electric propulsion system. Difference is there is no jerrycan or petrol filler nozzle. There are in fact multiple ways to charge a battery pack. Think about shore power, generator set, solar panels, wind generator, etc.

All VETUS e-drive motors are equipped with the Motor Controller VETUS (MCV) with boosted charge function. Using the Boosted Battery Charge function a 24 volt charger can be used to charge up the required 48 volt battery pack for propulsion. This is an economic advantage as the 24 volt battery charger is readily available. Plus this allows the boat builder an easy way to provide a 24 volt electric board network.