1st E motion Lagoon 500 launched in Bordeaux
The first E motion Hybrids Lagoon 500 hit the water September 10 in Bordeaux, France, equipped with twin 16 kw motors, twin 15 kw generators, twin cross chargers, a new bus-based Eplex control system, high-tech props and standard AGM batteries in place of the previously planned nickel-metal-hydride batteries. (See NiMH story.)
"It's everything I ever envisioned," says Dave Tether, CEO of Electric Marine Propulsion, dba E motion Hybrids. "We worked like dogs on last-minute touchups the day before, but the launch itself went very smoothly."
Built at the CNB factory of Groupe Bénéteau, Lagoon's parent company, the hybrid 500 is the first new boat to be launched with our 16 kw motors, manufactured for EMP by BluWav Systems, Rochester Hills, MI. "They produce about 60% more torque than our 9 kw models," Tether says, "and they're scalable to even larger sizes."
The new props, from ZF Marine, were selected to take advantage of the 16 kw motor's high torque. Seventy percent of the blade's width is concentrated toward the periphery of the disk, where rotational speeds are faster and most of the thrust is produced.
"The farther out the blade width is, the more thrust you get," Tether says. "The part near the hub just creates turbulence. It's wasted surface area ripping through the water."
The ZF props have a 19 inch diameter and 16 inch pitch. Previous Tether installations with 9 kw motors on 40-44 foot cats used 18 inch props varying from 14 to 16 inches in pitch.
Tether notes that the props, mounted on conventional inboard shafts, are located in front of the rudders rather than behind, as they are with the standard saildrive units. Water thrust back from the E motion props flows directly past the rudders, which improves steering.
For its initial test and evaluation the boat will have a set of standard 12 volt AGM batteries from our European supplier, Victron Energy, in place of the nickel-metal-hydride batteries planned originally. "Lagoon wants a minimum number of variables during this crucial test period with our new system in their new boat," Tether says. "And Victron's AGMs are standard marine batteries with well known characteristics."
Redundancy is another of the big boat's features: the twin 15 kw generators provide plenty of backup battery charging power, while either can power the motors at comfortable cruising speed if the other has problems.
There are also two Victron Energy 100 amp cross-chargers, or DC-DC converters, connected in parallel. Together they can provide nearly 200 amps of power for the boat's 12 volt house system. But if one malfunctions, the other can still provide plenty of power for critical systems.
"Redundancy is a good idea when you've got the room," Tether says. "And in this big Lagoon, we've got plenty." |
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| Twin 100 amp cross-chargers provide plenty of 12 V juice for house power |
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| Compact motor rails with beveled ends are glassed securely to hull and stringers. Shaft log protrudes through bulkhead. |
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| Workers carefully lower first hybrid Lagoon 500 past concrete bulkhead into the Garonne River. |
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| Sixteen kw portside motor, looking aft during installation. Signals from throttle enter SPMD on right and are sent to motor control unit (MCU) on left. Signals control MCU as it chops 144 VDC from black cables at upper left into three-phase PWM power conducted to motor via three red cables. Low voltage connection to motor is DB89 plug at bottom end of MCU. |
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| SPMD relays throttle inputs from either steering station to MCU. Each motor has an SPMD. |
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| Rudder rides directly in slipstream from torque-optimized ZF prop on inboard shaft. |
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| Copper bars connect Victron 180 a-h AGM batteries. Safety switch triggers in-line solenoids to break the circuit into four-battery sections when lid opens. Separate switch on main panel also shuts off battery power for maintenance. |
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| Bordeaux plant with Lagoon 500s lined up outside. |
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Deliberate progress
Tether originally was hoping for an early summer launch date, but work on the first-of-a-kind boat progressed "very deliberately," he says.
"We took our time with this one. It's Lagoon's first hybrid 500 and our first installation with the new Eplex control system, which radically simplifies the system wiring."
"We were hooked up and ready to go by the end of July, but there were still a few minor items left on the boat itself. Since France goes en vacances en masse in August, we didn't get back to work until September."
Tether notes that the project entailed much more than just installing another hybrid-electric drive system in a boat. "We also were integrating our procedures into Lagoon's production line."
The goal, he says, is to make assembly-line installation of the E motion system "as smooth and routine" as installing Lagoon's standard diesel-saildrive and electrical system.
Sea trials will take place over the next few weeks to make sure all systems in the 50 foot luxury cat are working smoothly.
"That unfortunately means we won't have the boat at the Annapolis boat show, which is a big disappointment," Tether says. "But we want to make sure we get it right."
Following the launch, the palatial hybrid will head up the Garonne to the Gironde river from the Bordeaux factory, where larger vessels, including the Lagoon 500, 570, 620 and 670, are manufactured. Smaller vessels are built at the Saint Gilles Croix de Vie plant farther north and launched at Les Sables d'Olonne on the Atlantic Coast.
The 500 will travel to Bénéteau docks at La Rochelle for outfitting, although the boat will not be ready for display there at the Sept. 10-15 sailboat show. But Tether will attend the La Rochelle show with Lagoon and Bénéteau officials to discuss the new hybrid system with prospective buyers. |
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| Dual throttle controls both motors via SPMDs. Status panel has LED indicators for motor operation and '"take" switch to activate throttle. |
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| Hybrid 500 enroute from plant to crane for launch. Twin spires of 11th century cathedral St. André de Bordeaux are visible on horizon. |
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