Torqeedo electrifies LifeCraft
Torqeedo has developed an electric drive for the lifeboat called LifeCraft made by the Danish company Viking. LifeCraft is an inflatable, motor-driven lifeboat for the evacuation of ship passengers at sea, which offers space for up to 203 people.
Each boat is equipped with four Torqeedo Cruise 4.0 Pod electric motors powered by 48-volt lithium-ion battery banks. “One motor is installed at each corner of the boat and all are networked into an integrated energy monitoring system,” explained the manufacturer. This gives the boat driver an overview of the engine and battery status at all times.
The advantage of putting electric motors on LifeCraft lifeboats is that they do not have to be serviced like combustion engines. According to Torqeedo, they can be completely integrated into the folding design of the boats, which are stored centrally on passenger ships and only deploy to their full size in an emergency. Torqeedo writes that heavy weather sea tests were successfully completed in October. Recently, Viking obtained official approval from the Danish shipping authority for the LifeCraft lifeboat as a “Novel Life-Saving Appliance”. This means that conventional lifeboats on passenger ships can now be replaced by the modern LifeCraft system.
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