EXPO NEWS | DAY 3: Lithtech LT-176 White Shark 38.4V 460AH LiFePO4 battery pack

Shenzhen-based Lithtech is at Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo to emphasize how the lifecycle costs of lithium boat batteries are now close to those of conventional options. Upgrading an existing boat to the newer technology is therefore increasingly feasible, according to sales director Leo Liu. He explained, “As a company, we’re on a mission to help make this planet carbon-emission free.

“We’re now looking at how we can help the marine industry. It’s in the same situation that the automotive industry was 15 or 20 years ago. There are now many more electric vehicles on the road. Equally, there is a realization in the marine industry that vessels must gradually change from diesel engine generation to the latest electric powertrain solutions. This is what we are showing to customers here in Amsterdam – our latest lithium battery, which we call White Shark, based fully on DNV Option 1 regulations, and which uses a modular approach so it can scale between small vessels to much larger vessels for various applications.”

The benefits of the company’s lithium-ion batteries include a significant reduction in physical size and weight, along with a radically increased number of charge-discharge cycles compared with most conventional deep-cycling lead-acid batteries. Despite lithium-ion battery technology currently being relatively expensive, Lithtech expects this will change. The prices of lithium-ion relative to capacity continue to fall, suggesting total lifecycle costs are likely to drop below those of lead-acid batteries.

Lithtech also notes that lithium batteries are better suited to today’s increasingly complex and power-hungry yachts, allowing the air-conditioning systems to run through the night without the disruption of a generator, as well as a change from gas to electric induction cooking, and from a gasoline tender to an electrically powered one.