Torqeedo expands ‘Deep Blue’ battery series

Electric boat drive specialist Torqeedo has introduced a new battery option for its Deep Blue series of electric drive systems. The new Deep Blue Battery 80 uses LFP cells and offers a capacity of 80 kWh – twice as much as the generation of Deep Blue batteries already available.

Torqeedo says the new battery’s cell-to-pack architecture, which integrates the individual battery cells directly into the pack, compensates for the lower energy density of LFP batteries and allows for a more compact footprint that is easier to install in many boats.

The previous Deep Blue Battery 40 is known to use NMC battery technology from the BMW i3 – the modules with prismatic cells from Samsung SDI are even manufactured at BMW in Dingolfing. A ready-to-install battery pack from Torqeedo comes to 38.0 kWh and offers high charge and discharge rates in addition to a high energy density.

The new Deep Blue Battery 80 shares the same name, but has a fundamentally different design – with the aforementioned LFP cells, cell-to-pack technology instead of modules and also different dimensions for the housing. But the new battery is also protected according to IP 67, has a damping set for applications with high impact loads, a “seaworthy” coating and a vent for maritime applications. Unlike the NMC battery, Torqeedo does not name the cell manufacturer for the new LFP option.

“The new Deep Blue Battery 80 doubles the range and runtime for Deep Blue systems. It’s a game-changer for electric mobility on the water,” said Fabian Bez, CEO of Torqeedo. “This new battery marks one important step in our new strategy to make Torqeedo even more customer-centric by providing optimized products for specific market segments.”

Bez said NMC batteries “are still the best choice for many on-water applications due to their extremely high energy density”. “In the past, lithium iron phosphate batteries just took up too much room but they have come a long way over the past couple of years,” the Torqeedo CEO said. The company claims a volumetric energy density of 278 Wh/l.

Instead of the previously insufficient energy density, well-known characteristics of LFP batteries are now highlighted – such as durability and safety, but also the absence of raw materials such as nickel, cobalt and manganese. “It was time to offer our Deep Blue customers a choice,” says Bez.

torqeedo.com (announcement), torqeedo.com (overview of batteries)