Danish yacht builder builds hybrid X-yacht

It is understood that propulsion comes from batteries, sails or diesel power, and the latter two sources can also charge the battery, thus ensuring zero-emission cruising in the near future.

X-Yachts said that when it comes to developing electric boats, it does not want to be at the forefront of the curve, but prefers to stay put and let the technology mature. When customer John Haurum was looking for a more environmentally friendly sailboat, X-Yachts felt the time was ripe for the project and teamed up with Finland's Oceanvolt to develop the X4.9E.

It is understood that Oceanvolt has provided two 10kW 48V electric Servo Prop SD10 sail drives, which draw power from 28.8kWh lithium iron phosphate battery packs. This combination allows the 12-ton, 49-foot (14.9-meter) vessel to travel up to 49 nautical miles (91 kilometers) at a cruising speed of 4 knots (7.4 km/h). When the battery drops to critical depletion of 90%, the boat needs to be recharged.

But the captain of the X4.9E does not need to make a 180-degree adjustment after reaching the 24.5 nautical mile mark, because the X4.9E also has an 11kW Fisher Panda DC diesel generator - - Designed to provide extended range power and battery charging. The generator can directly power the drive motor, send its power to the battery to charge, or do both at the same time. It can charge the battery from 20% to 80% in about 95 minutes.

In order to achieve a more environmentally friendly and less emission charging method, the X4.9E can also use regenerative charging during navigation. As the ship sails forward, the sail-driven propeller spins in the water and becomes a hydroelectric generator. X-Yachts estimates that the yacht can generate 3.5 kilowatts of electricity while sailing and recharge the battery in just 8 to 10 hours.

According to X-Yachts, X4.9E owners can also plug in shore power for charging, which only takes less than 10 hours.

X-Yachts began extensive sea trials of the X4.9E in June. Although there is no word on pricing yet, on X-Yachts’ brokerage websiteThe €639,000 price tag of the latest diesel-powered X4.9 yacht listed on the page suggests that the hybrid X4.9E is going to cost quite a bit.

The hybrid electric X-Yacht is a modified X4.9 diesel engine sailboat. The engine room usually used to accommodate the 48.5kW diesel engine was converted into a technical room with Battery packs, chargers/inverters, battery management systems, controllers and other critical electrical components. The sail drives are installed on both sides of this technical room, below the aft cabin bunks.

Original title: Danish yacht manufacturer builds hybrid X-yacht: it can cruise on electricity or diesel and charge during the voyage