Foiling vessel builder launches ‘game-changing feature’

Vessev, which had a stand at the Seawork exhibition this year, designs and builds 12-18-metre electric hydrofoiling ferries, with a leisure vessel to come soon.

Its latest innovation is its VS-Drive, a submersible motor that combines advanced active cooling with custom direct-drive brushless motors in a modular design.

It has an internal closed-loop cooling system that Vessev co-founder and chief technology officer Max Olson said was ’among its most game-changing features’, capable of keeping motor operating temperatures below 50^oC.

“The VS-Drive began as a clean-sheet design to overcome one of the trickiest challenges in electric marine propulsion: overheating,” he said. “The result is sustained high-torque output, and unparalleled performance in tropical climates.”

Olson says by connecting the motor directly to the propeller and eliminating gearboxes and long driveshafts, the VS-Drive has fewer moving parts than internal combustion engines, reducing energy loss.

The podded propulsion system powers Vessev’s VS-9, which operates in New Zealand. The V-9 is a nine-metre battery-electric foiling catamaran, and the new drive can be scaled to other models in development, Vessev says.

The motor, which has a modular design that allows easy disassembly and servicing, has a continuous output of 65kW (90HP) at 25 knots.

Read our interview last year with Vessev CEO Eric Laakmann here.