Volabo: boat market & next gen e-drives

Volabo is presenting the fourth generation of its Intelligent Stator Cage Drive (ISCAD) electric drive that can generate high power of up to 300 kW at a voltage of 48 volts. Volabo has also successfully concluded a Series A financing round for its market entry into the boat sector.

The size and weight of the integrated power electronics have been reduced by more than 50 per cent in the new generation. Since the power electronics are now based on significantly more compact modules, the right number of modules can be mounted depending on the power class.

The drive technology is thus “very well scalable” and can be used in various areas such as boating, automotive or off-road. With a length of 33 centimetres, the manufacturers of the engine say it can now be integrated very well into various vehicles.

The 48-volt electric drive would also differ from conventional electric drives in many ways. For example, ISCAD manages without rare earth magnets. Instead of copper windings in the stator, aluminium rods are used in the Volabo drives, which can be individually controlled. This allows the drive to adapt dynamically to the load profile, which makes it very efficient, especially in the partial load range.

Volabo has also successfully completed a Series A financing round: The Hechinger Group is investing a seven-figure sum in the start-up from Ottobrunn near Munich, Germany, to finance product development for the market entry in the boat sector.

“With the Hechinger Group as a strategic investor, not only is the financing for product development secured, but synergies in the areas of development, industrialization and production are also achieved. The electric drive can now be developed in a project-independent and targeted manner into a market-ready product that will revolutionize electric mobility,” comments Managing Director Adrian Patzak.

He explained: “The new funds will be used to a large extent for product development as well as for the qualification and certification of the drives,” comments CEO Adrian Patzak. For Markus Duffner, Managing Director of the Group, it is a strategic investment: “With the investment in Volabo GmbH, the Hechinger Group is optimally positioned for the promising field of electromobility”.

Volabo is said to have taken another important step towards market maturity with the fourth generation of e-drives. Following the qualification and certification of the drive, the company will enter the boat market. At the beginning of March of this year, a 48-volt high-performance boat with the Volabo drive is to be exhibited worldwide at the Austrian Boat Show in Tulln.

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