Design of an electric drive system for a hybrid passenger boat

Abstract

In recent years, the electrification of marine transport has developed rapidly. However, much of the existing research and practical implementation is well developed for ferries, workboats, and larger commercial vessels, while small low-power passenger craft are less often treated as detailed engineering design cases in academic studies. This thesis is focused on the design of a hybrid propulsion system suitable for a displacement vessel intended for four to six passengers. Different propulsion architectures are compared, and the vessel resistance, propulsion power demand, and energy requirements are estimated for a representative operating profile. Based on this analysis, a series range-extender hybrid propulsion architecture is selected as the most suitable configuration for the considered vessel. The final drive system consists of a 1.8 kW Honda EU22i engine-generator, a 48V 100Ah LiFePO₄ battery, a 48V 25A charger, and a 3 kW ePropulsion POD 3.0 EVO propulsion motor. The selected components meet the estimated propulsion and energy requirements while maintaining a relatively simple system layout, short-distance electric operation capability, and extended operating range through generator support.