Australia will soon have its own contender in the electric boat segment, as Genevo Marine gears up for 2024 launch of its first model, an 8.2-metre, luxury motor yacht known as the “E8”.
The company, founded by Damon Rahmate and Andrew Davey, who have a combined 30 years’ experience in the Solar photovoltaic (PV), Energy Storage, EV charger and marine industries, has developed Australia’s first high-powered electric boat. The E8 was designed by award-winning superyacht designer Misha Merzliakov and will be built by leading composite boat builder, Dan Williams on the Gold Coast.
Three years in design development, the E8 will employ a proprietary recycled carbon fibre composite hull design. Genevo Marine are working with Deakin University on recycled carbon fibre materials testing and there are plans to source the recycled carbon fibre raw materials from a newly planned aerospace carbon fibre recycling plant in Australia.
As Damon explained, “Designing an electric boat entails some deep consideration and analysis around hull efficiencies and weight distribution.
“The E8’s meticulous design process, high performance electric drive train and high energy density battery pack will ensure a generous range of around 50 nautical miles at 25 knots or in excess of 100 at cruising speeds.”
Andrew continued, “While we’ve engineered a considerable amount into the overall efficiency, concerns around range anxiety are countered with the fact that the average recreational boat user travels 10km or less in each trip. The E8 model will be capable of covering approximately 10 times this distance at top speed!”
The team’s experience within the EV charging space has ensured that the practicalities of charging will be well catered for. Genevo Marine will be rolling out a fast-charging network at strategic marinas nationwide to support their fleet and meet the growing electric boat demand.
Genevo Marine’s fast-charging network will operate as an ancillary business arm to its electric boat manufacturing to support its growth.
“Our charging technology has the capability to satisfy fast charging to both electric boats and EV’s and our technology partner is the world leader in dockside chargers,” said Damon.
“The satellite fast charge pedestals offer a distinct advantage for dock side chargers over other manufacturers, being slimline, compact and proven in harsh marine environments. They are also more easily scaled up in dockside environments, which will be important as the number of electric vessels on the water increases.
“Genevo Marine will be unique in acting as our own hardware service partner and installer, similar to Tesla’s own Super Charger network, thereby cutting out the requirement for third party providers and their inherent delays,” he continued.
“It’s vitally important that we own and service our own network and minimise the downtime delays that has dogged some of the EV charging networks.”
According to Andrew, the E8’s fast onboard charging technology provides the flexibility and convenience of being compatible with existing EV fast chargers, making it feasible to charge dockside or also while on trailer at standard roadside EV networks.
“Fast charging also greatly reduces charge times, meaning that people can get out there and enjoy the water. The E8 will also feature domestic charger capability, enabling owners to charge from their solar systems at home for free.”
The E8 will be the first of Genevo’s models with more to follow. Sitting in the day-boat category, the E8’s utilitarian design ethos ensures that it will also satisfy families and avid fishing enthusiasts or super yacht tender requirements alike.
Capable of comfortably carrying eight or more guests, the powerful 400kW electric drive train and 132kWh Lithium-ion battery will ensure high speed thrills without the drone or exhaust fumes associated with traditional petrol engines. In addition to the minimal running costs Damon and Andrew both keenly point to the huge reductions electric boats offer to on-going maintenance costs.
“Fuel cost reductions are obviously a significant advantage, but the real game-changer is the huge offset in running costs with electric motors, they only have about 1 percent of the moving parts compared to petrol engines, so they just don’t require the same maintenance regimes,” stated Andrew.
Added to this the E8 will offer a comprehensive telemetric system to remotely monitor each onboard system for ongoing after-sales support and OTA software updates.
“Additionally, a 1kW solar array on the canopy will power the boat’s on board Garmin, Polk audio entertainment and cooling systems.
“We have been able to approach electric boat building with fresh eyes,” stated Andrew. “We have access to the most efficient, cutting-edge technology in an industry that is constantly evolving.”
“Our objective is to develop and manufacture an Australian boat for our conditions that will have the least impact on the marine environment,” added Damon. “We are both boaties and surfers and want to ensure the oceans, bays and rivers are healthy for our kids and future generations.”
The Genevo E8 will be built by one of Australia’s leading composite boat manufacturers, Dan Williams of Mahi Boats located at the Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard on the Gold Coast. Dan has been boat building for 18 years, with specialist expertise in carbon fibre race yachts and custom builds, working in Australia, the UK, Netherlands, UAE and the US.
“Partnering with Mahi Boats for the initial tooling development stages and model runs will ensure an extremely high level of quality control,” stated Damon.
“The E8 entails an array of advanced technologies and is in many ways a reinvention of the boat as we all know it. We were adamant that our manufacturing partner was as passionate and flexible about new technologies in their manufacturing approach.”
“Dan and his team are the perfect fit,” Andrew added. “They have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to sustainability and advanced manufacturing technologies in their own practices.”
Commenting on the partnership, Dan noted the synergies between Genevo and Mahi Boats.
“The environmentally-friendly aspect is something that aligns to our core values. Innovation is something we are passionate about. We are always looking to innovate at every opportunity and Genevo provides the perfect platform for this.
“We are very adaptable to our client’s needs taking into consideration, budget, timeline quality and everything in between.”
The E8 will be built using an array of the latest composite materials and techniques, as Dan explained.
“Building with composites we can manage the strength to weight ratio. With a wider range of greener composite solutions making their way onto the market, we can utilise them in keeping with the environmental aspirations of Genevo.
“Using advanced techniques of construction, we can save on costs, time and assure consistency throughout the whole operation.”
The team from Genevo expects production to begin in mid-2024 and the first units will be available for inspection and sea trials by the end of the year.
Genevo recently opened pre-orders for the E8 as the best way to ensure that buyers can get ahead of the anticipated wait list.
More at genevomarine.com.au
