Portable Battery for Marine Leisure
Typ
Examensarbete på kandidatnivå
Program
Publicerad
2022
Författare
Bolminger, Erik
Palm, Gustav
Strömdahl, Evelina
Sundqvist, Tinnie
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Electrification is one of the biggest disruptive trends within the marine leisure sector. It follows
a similar path as the automotive industry. One of the major challenges is the availability of
charging. Many marinas do not have sufficient shore power for the charging of large batteries and
if electrification is to succeed, more options for customers interested in electric boating is needed.
One alternative this report concluded is the possibility to develop a portable battery swapping
system where a sailboat owner could swap the discharged battery for a fully charged one via a
swapping mechanism. This would allow a third party to own a limited number of standardized
batteries for electromobility customers and charge the batteries slowly to avoid an excessive load
on the power grid.
The methodology was firmly based on a project design and development process. An extensive
study was conducted on the customers and the behavior of sailboat users in order to develop
target specifications, needs and requirements for developing a portable battery swapping system.
Meanwhile, the team partook in literature studies, contacting boat manufacturers and visiting
different boatyards. The customer research was based on a quantitative and qualitative study
through both a survey and deeper interviews that was answered in total by 187 sailboat users.
With this solid foundation, concepts where generated and eliminated until a single concept was
further developed and investigated.
The concept that was further developed resulted in a battery swapping system by function sharing
with already existing equipment on the boat. The batteries where placed behind the staircase of
the sailboat, where the conventional combustion engine many times is placed, and a hatch just
above this position was implemented. The boom in co-operation with a pulley system is used to
lift the batteries and swing it out over the docks. The same procedure in reverse is applied for
reloading fully charged batteries onto the sailboat. Lithium-Ion was the chosen material for the
battery because of the lightness of their building components, high loading capacity and longer
cycle life.
The business case for this is based on a subscription model where the sailboat owners subscribe
on a wanted amount of batteries. The swapping stations are planned to be as self-sustaining
as possible, just like an unmanned fuel station. A third part stakeholder operates the swapping
stations by making sure there is enough batteries to meet the demands, doing maintenance and
providing the location where the batteries can be placed.
The project resulted in a model for a battery swapping system, complete with example modules
and mechanical assistance to handle them. The concept allows sailboat users to maintain their
current use of functions and equipment except for ways of heating the water and the cabin, which
needs to be further researched if the project is to be continued.