Torqeedo partners with Sentinel, WhisperPower
Torqeedo has announced strategic agreements to integrate Sentinel Boat Monitors and WhisperPower smart power generation systems into its electric boat propulsion product offerings.
The announcements were made in a press conference at the Dusseldorf International Boat Show Jan. 23. The Sentinel Boat Monitors are now fully integrated with Torqeedo’s Cruise, Travel and Ultralight electric propulsion systems.
The Sentinel app allows remote monitoring of the vessel’s location and onboard systems, and provides automatic alerts of any malfunctions and alarms. If the boat strays from its location, either through a failed mooring or theft, the automatic geofencing and GPS tracking function ensures quick location and recovery.
When integrated with the Torqeedo system, the boat’s electric motor and battery data are clearly displayed in the app, including state of charge, voltage, temperature and remaining range.
“The Boat Monitor device with the Sentinel app makes it easy to understand what is going on with your boat at all times, whether you are a charter operator with a large fleet or an individual boat owner,” said Marko Pihlar, co-founder and CEO of Sentinel Marine Solutions.
For commercial or rental operators, the Sentinel Boat Monitor system, integrated with Torqeedo’s electric propulsion system, offers tracking and monitoring of the full fleet or individual boats via a convenient mobile or web app. It monitors the number of guests, remaining range, state of charge and distance from homeport for each boat and sends notification of the vessel’s arrival.
“Cities worldwide are looking to electric-powered water taxis, ferries and excursion boats to clean up their air and waterways,” said Torqeedo CEO Christoph Ballin. “Integrating Torqeedo systems with full-featured remote fleet management solutions like Sentinel will be crucial to the further development of this market.”
Torqeedo also announced a new 25kW range extender developed in cooperation with WhisperPower for its Deep Blue hybrid systems.
The WhisperPower 350V DC converter generator uses a Mitsubishi S4Q2 four-cylinder diesel engine with crankshaft starting. Its variable frequency operation eliminates the fixed ratio between power, voltage output and rotational speed and produces all required combinations of power and voltage on demand.
The system’s sophisticated power electronics allow the engine to run at its most efficient operating point, minimizing fuel consumption, noise, vibration and exhaust. It consumes only 295 grams (.08 gallons) of fuel per kilowatt-hour and generates just 54 db(A) of noise at seven meters distance.
Ballin explained that when integrated into the Deep Blue Hybrid systems, the range extender is part of an advanced feature set which offers unparalleled levels of convenience, luxury and autonomy for larger cruising boats.
The Deep Blue system harvests renewable energy from solar panels and hydrogeneration to charge the high-capacity BMWi batteries, providing silent power for the Torqeedo electric motors plus house loads such as air conditioning from sustainable sources. When longer-range motoring is required, the generator is controlled automatically by the Torqeedo Advanced Hybrid Control System for worry-free backup, Ballin added.
“As electric propulsion systems become more powerful, a backup or auxiliary power system is becoming more and more relevant. Our smart power generation systems and Torqeedo’s industry-leading electric propulsion systems are a perfect match,” said Roel ter Heide, founder and CEO of WhisperPower.
