New Voyager "V1040 Hybrid Explorer”

The new Voyager ‘V1040 Hybrid Explorer’ is a semi-displacement 10.4m Sedan Cruiser suited to those in low clearance areas, or who prefer an economical single level Cruiser. It’s versatile open layout is perfect for family or fishing, and with twin Steyr Hybrid propulsion engine accompanied with 7kW electric drive motors, this vessel can cruise at 13-18 knots, reaching up to 21 knots at top speed.

Steyr Motors are the first engine manufacturer to develop and introduce the STEYR HDS™ Hybrid Drive System for boats of all kinds in the marine market. The “zero emission” electric drive mode allows a speed of 5 knots using solely electric propulsion and switches to the combustion engine with an easy turn of the ignition key. The ingenious propulsion then gets “boosted” by the electric drive and enables quicker acceleration, lowering fuel consumption, improving response and dynamics.

Andrew Wilson, Business Development Manager for Power Protection Solutions, Mastervolts Australian distributor was contacted by Steyr Motors Australia to help formulate an energy package that would suit the Steyr electric drives and vessel design.

Voyager Catamarans were wanting to make maximum use of the propulsion batteries as part of the vessels main DC loads. Generally the propulsion batteries are kept separate from the house loads as the demand on the batteries is very high when in electric drive mode. This presented a challenge for Mastervolt and the electrical designer/installer, Brad Stack from Edge Marine Electrical on the Gold Coast.

After much deliberation, and with space & weight a crucial factor, a Mastervolt Lithium-Ion Battery Package was the only option to use for such a demanding setup. Four 24v 160Ah Li-Ion batteries were used to create a 48v 320Ah (17.2kWh) capacity. The Li-Ion batteries were then connected to the “emergency 12v start batteries” of the Steyr engines via Mastervolt 48v DC-DC converters to supply a reasonably portion of Lithium Ion power to the vessels DC circuits.

Andrew stated, “As the 144hp Steyr diesel engines start from the 48v hybrid drive, the 12v batteries are rarely used; by slightly increasing their capacity and connecting the Li-Ion batteries via DC converters, we have created a very powerful and reliable battery system for house loads and propulsion ”.

Andrew also mentioned, “This setup potentially gives the owner over 1000Ah @ 12v of house bank capacity, with full digital touch screen monitoring, control and safety backup” “Along with a 48v 5kW Mass Combi Inverter/Charger suppling the AC power for the vessel and electric galley, we could not have been happier with the outcome”

Voyager also wanted to take the Hybrid theme to the next level and installed 1.5kW of solar panels to the vessel. Figures recorded on sea trial were an average of 21amps charge going into the 48v Lithium propulsion batteries; With this amount of solar charge the vessel was capable of producing a speed of 2.1 knots just on solar power alone, a very impressive figure indeed.

Also on sea trial, the vessel achieved an electric drive speed of over 6 knots with a comfortable cruising speed of 4-5 knots on 70% Hybrid drive load. With these figures, the owner can expect to see around 2-2.5 hours of quiet electric cruising before the batteries require recharging. Once the diesel engines are engaged, the charging time of the batteries is expected to take under 2 hours to achieve full capacity.  

Power Protection Solutions & Mastervolt are proud to be involved in the first production built Hybrid vessel of this type in Australia and look forward to the next Hybrid project involving Voyager Catamarans, Steyr Motors and Edge Marine Electrical.

www.powersolutions.com.au     www.mastervolt.com.au     www.voyagercats.com.au     www.steyr-motors.com.au