Torqeedo powers electric fleet for San Antonio’s River Walk

The new fleet of 43 custom passenger boats, which were deployed in Oct. 2017 on the iconic River Walk in San Antonio, Texas, are powered by electric propulsion systems from Torqeedo.

Built by Lake Assault Boats, each of the new environmentally friendly 27-ft. vessels is driven by a complete Torqeedo electric propulsion system, including a Cruise 10.0 electric outboard engine and 16 Power 26-104 lithium batteries. The system is designed for automatic recharging with a built-in shorepower connection onboard. The Torqeedo propulsion systems are designed to be virtually maintenance free with minimal downtime.

“Sustainability and care for the environment were a top priority for the new fleet,” said John Jacks, City of San Antonio Center City Development and Operations Director. “These new boats give passengers a unique experience, cruising smoothly and quietly through the San Antonio River, consuming no fuel and keeping our air clean.”

The powerful, lightweight Torqeedo Cruise 10.0 outboard engine provides 12 kW peak output and 10 kW continuous output, equivalent to a 20 hp combustion engine. The propulsion system includes remote throttle and steering connections and an integrated onboard computer with GPS-based range calculation.

The new barges typically cruise at four knots and can normally operate up to 12 hours without recharging, according to the barge’s operators.

The barges seat 40 passengers and have five distinct barge rail patterns and can be configured to support multiple roles for tours, dining, water taxis, entertaining and special events, such as the annual Ford Holiday River Parade.

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5 Comments

  1. Do you have a version that will be about this size but hold less people? Do/have you sold any in Canada?
    What is the approximate cost for a unit similar to those in San Antonio. They were impressive, at least on the surface and at a first exposure.

  2. we were in San Antonio last week July 11th -18 and used the water taxi all the time. This was the best money i spent. Our hotel was on the North route. We used this taxi every day. The motors are so quiet that you dont even no they are running. The captains were 1st class. I highly recomend the water taxi.

  3. I am curious to know how much money it costs to purchase, operate, maintain, and update in 5 years versus how much it cost for the internal combustion engines used in their last 5 years. I am certain the costs would be very very high. It would be awesome if someone would do this research.

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