IPS GOES ELECTRIC

Is Volvo Penta's first electric IPS driveline the start of a bright new future or a sop to the green agenda?

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Small boats aren't the only vessels being transformed by the electric revolution. Volvo Penta has just announced details of its first all-electric IPS drivetrain and it's targeted at boats as large as 80ft. Called IPS900 Electric, it uses the same forward-facing pod drive technology as Volvo's diesel-powered IPS900 but is fitted with a bespoke 515kW (690hp) electric motor instead of the usual 700hp six cylinder D13 engine. The result is a significantly quieter and more compact package that delivers the performance equivalent of a 900hp shaft drive engine without the usual noise, exhaust and emissions. And it can be fitted in multiples of up to four to power craft that would typically use a pair of much larger diesel engines.

POD DRIVE EFFICIENCY