Glacier Bay to provide electric power systems for new eco-friendly cats
By IBI Magazine
Glacier Bay is to supply Robertson & Caine with OSSA Powerlite systems to power its new, eco-friendly Electric Leopard sailing catamarans. E-Leopards will be sold through The Moorings.
Glacier Bay's OSSA Powerlite power systems are an integrated family of electric power components managed by a computer control system. Glacier Bay will supply Robertson & Caine with DC generators, propulsion motors, air conditioning units, water heaters, and other components for use in the Electric Leopard cats.
In a separate announcement, The Moorings announced that they will be offering Electric Leopards for sale to private yacht buyers in 2007¬ and to charter fleet buyers in 2008.
Robertson & Caine built the first E43 in December 2005 in South Africa. Electric Leopard was sailed to the British Virgin Islands in February 2006, where it underwent extensive testing. Since October 2006, the boat has been operating in The Moorings' Tortola charter fleet. Electric Leopard will be on display at the Miami Boat Show.
John Robertson, President of Robertson & Caine said, "Electric power is hardly new to boating - it's been mainline for submarines, ships, tugs and so on for many decades - but the technology has not been ready for cost-effective deployment in smaller vessels until now. We took a very conservative approach to ensure this technology is reliable and ready for prime time before we were ready to put our name behind it. The results are great, and we look forward to leading the way to a new era of eco-responsible products for recreational boating."
The eco-friendliness of OSSA Powerlite results from the use of next-generation fuel-efficient generators combined with computer-controlled power management. The OSSA Powerlite 25KW DC generator used in the E-Leopards uses an advanced, common-rail injection (CRI) diesel engine, which Glacier Bay designed in collaboration with Mercedes to meet tough emissions standards. Although CRI has long been the standard in larger diesels designed for low emissions and high fuel-efficiency in other industries, such as trucking and shipping, this is the first time that the technology has been able to be deployed in the small form factor needed for recreational marine applications.
OSSA Powerlite generators are variable speed - they use computer control to match the generator output to the power load on the fly, so the generator only runs as fast as needed to produce the required power. This is unlike most other generators which run at constant speed, thus burning much more fuel.
Kevin Alston, President of Glacier Bay, said, "New magnet technology and microelectronics allowed us to step up the power output of our generators to a new level while achieving breakthrough fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. Our generators produce over twice the power for the same weight or space than our competition, and emit less than a quarter of the particulates of comparable products."
Robertson added, "There's much less maintenance on these boats. E-Leopards don't use large, heavy propulsion battery banks and need much less service at longer service intervals. The system is simple to understand and look after - a major benefit for a fleet operator, such as The Moorings".
Although Glacier Bay has been producing OSSA products for over two years now, and there are many OSSA Powerlite implementations in individual boats around the world, this agreement represents the first time that OSSA Powerlite will be deployed in a production family of boats.
(14 February 2007)
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