Category Archives: Fuel Efficient Boats

Intellijet preserves motor life by requiring less power at lower rpm to achieve the necessary thrust.

Boating and COP21 Paris Agreement

COP21, Fuel Efficient Boats

                                       COP21. What Is It? 

COP21 Paris logoWhile you may not have heard much of the recent ratification of the COP21 Paris Agreement, this world treaty holds great promise for IntelliJet. The rest of the world has a treaty obligation to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% in 10 years, effective November 4, 2016, and we expect IntelliJet to be at the forefront.

The U.S. has gotten off to a slow start and will be under increasing pressure to catch up.

Reducing CO2 emissions results from reducing fuel consumption.  Cars get 10x better fuel mileage than boats, making boats an obvious target for CO2 emission reductions.  Our peer-reviewed papers demonstrate that IntelliJet is uniquely able to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% in boats.

Published data shows two million recreational boats ripe for repowering with IntelliJet systems, and millions more can be replaced by new IntelliJet boats, to achieve a 25% carbon reduction in boats.

The demand for increased range in patrol boats and military craft also works for IntelliJet’s unique combination of fuel efficiency and performance.

Key points:

  • Current EPA regulation of boats fall short of COP21 requirements.
  • They have the effect of extending the useful (or rather, counterproductive) life of old, inefficient, polluting boats.
  • The current regulations also negatively affect the sale of new, cleaner boats.
  • Cars and trucks get 10x better fuel mileage than recreational boats, new or used.
  • This problem is inescapable, as boats will be the very last vehicles to be electric, due to the prohibitive weight and cost of the required battery capacity at 5-10x the requirements for cars.

See:

  1. Our DRAFT EPA White Paper on reducing carbon emissions in recreational boats. Recreational Boating and COP21 Paris Agreement

  2. The Maritime Executive Magazine “Low Carbon Study Ready for MEPC 70″

IntelliJet Nominated for Innovation Award

Boating Industry, Fuel Efficient Boats, Innovation, Jet Boats, Marine Propulsion, Military Navy Ships, ,

Marine Propulsion & Auxilliary Machinery“After careful review by the editors of Marine Propulsion and the advisory panel, the 2015 awards shortlist has been decided.”

We’re happy that IntelliJet propulsion technology for fast boats and ships is nominated for the “Innovation Award” to be presented at the Annual Marine Propulsion Conference April 15-16 in London.

Trends toward

  • fuel efficiency,
  • reduced emissions,
  • electronic control,
  • safety, and
  • reduction of damage to marine life

are making IntelliJet technology increasingly relevant.

Marine Jet Variable Power Transmission

Boat Manufacturing, Boating Industry, Fuel Efficient Boats, Innovation, Jet Boats, , ,

Never Bet Against a MicroController

Race car with computational fluid dynamicsMarine propulsion has lagged behind other transportation products because it has failed to integrate new technologies to produce innovative benefits in sustainability, safety, reliability, operating costs, manufacturing costs and lifetime ownership costs.

These failures stem from routine reliance on familiar methods of product design, development and manufacturing.  Doing it the same old way is comfortable, but produces too much of the same old results.

Simulation for Performance & Efficiency

Example of computational fluid dynamics image courtesy of Pointwise

Example of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Image Courtesy of Pointwise. www.pointwise.com

How different would it be if marine propulsion design was not limited by these familiar product design, development, and manufacturing processes?

Let’s say the design process made maximum use of computational methods and simulation to define the mechanical dimensions and requirements of the optimum propulsion system over the expected range of operating speeds and loads.

If motor efficiency, lower emissions, and longer operating life require a variable power transmission as they do in trucks, buses and cars, why not make that part of the design?  

It seems natural that such a system would be best made using design, development and manufacturing methods commonly used for autos, trucks, and large construction equipment.

Fortunately, these methods and services are highly developed, widely available, and ever more economical, which makes this whole approach more practical than traditional methods.

Why Not Boats?

Electronically controlled components, similar to those long found in aircraft, automobiles, and even home appliances, can enhance marine propulsion.

These controls, programming methods, and associated development services are readily available.  This development path is highly automated for very large markets, so is the fastest, most exact, and most economical one available.

The only remaining question is
why has it taken so long for marine propulsion to get here?