Stream Propulsion

Hybrid power helps Saraka reduce emissions

Help a start-up company develop an all-electric, zero-emissions outboard motor for the leisure boat market. Deliver further customer goals for low running costs and easy maintenance.

Stabe Drives and Parker collaborated on an innovative electric motor and drive concept complemented by a Bluetooth-enabled electronic control system with proprietary graphical user interface (GUI) and complementary app.

Emissions reduced from 50-60 kg/h of CO2 (with fossil fuel engine) to zero; running costs cut from around €90 to €2 for 6 hours of boating; annual service (approximately €300) eliminated.

A joint development project between Stream Propulsion, Stabe Drives and Parker has led to a new range of electric outboard motors for the leisure boat sector. The innovative motors facilitate zero-emissions boating with lower running costs and reduced maintenance.

"We spent 18 months testing the electric outboard motor developed by Stream, Stabe Drives and Parker on a range of leisure boats. It works perfectly. Quality is our number one priority, which is why we need world-class technical solutions. We now have an excellent proposal for the market: an affordable zero-emissions motor that is cheap to run and maintain.''

Tom Kühne, Director and co-founder of Stream Propulsion AB

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Step-change for leisure boat industry

The high emissions and price of fossil fuels is driving the leisure boat industry towards a future based on electric outboard motors. However, capturing a share of this market requires product differentiation. For new business Stream Propulsion, partly owned by Nimbus Group, this meant enlisting the expertise of Stabe Drives, a certified Parker Electro-Mechanical Technology Centre (EMTC).

“We have a commitment to make leisure boating sustainable and affordable,” states Tom Kühne, Director and co-founder of Stream Propulsion. “At approximately 50- 60 kg/h of CO2, the emissions of a standard 50hp outboard motor running on fossil fuel is six times higher than that of an average new car, while running and maintenance costs are also high. For these reasons, there’s significant demand in Europe for electric outboard motors, particularly in the Nordic countries where 1 in 8 people own a leisure boat. Estimates suggest the global market could eventually be worth around $10 billion annually. To capture a share, we needed reliable technology partners.”

Development partnership

As the optimal solution, the team identified the Parker GVM PMAC motor and Parker GVI drive, which together provided the basis to develop a compact, high-efficiency, high-reliability electric outboard engine for small and medium sized leisure boats. To ensure ultimate ease-of-use, the team proposed Parker’s IQAN electronic control system and software, which monitors factors such as time until empty, speed, motor power and temperature.

Beyond system integration, Stabe Drives offers many value-added services, including control panel programming, complete system testing, assembly and customer support. Stabe will build every system on behalf of Stream Propulsion, delivering them directly to boat builders. Moreover, as the IQAN controller features Parker’s Bluetooth device, boat users can take advantage of the Parker IQANgo app to provide Stabe Drives with information. “In the unlikely event of a motor issue, boat owners can use the app to connect with the IQAN display, which allows me to troubleshoot or upload new software remotely,” explains Eric Gustafsson, Engineer at Stabe Drives.

Competitive gain

Stream Propulsion is already offering 30hp and 45hp electric outboard motors. The first e-boat to adopt the new motor is the Bella Zero (Bella is also part of the Nimbus Group), while four other boat manufacturers are set to begin testing. Stream Propulsion estimates sales of 100 outboard motors in year one, rising to 500 by year two, thanks to the impressive project outcomes:

“Throughout the development process, Stabe Drives and Parker had lots of ideas and proposals that helped our motor to evolve quickly; time-to-market was crucial due to the rapidly expanding market.”

Tom Kühne, Director and co-founder of Stream Propulsion AB