Yanmar to launch first electric propulsion product

Engine maker Yanmar Marine International (YMI) will launch its ‘plug and play’ E-Sail Drive range to the global market at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival. This is the firm’s first step into electric propulsion.

Yanmar says the range is designed to give boaters a seamless transition to electric power and has a straightforward installation platform.

Yanmar says the emissions-free saildrive is built on an integrated system with all the components on one ‘plug and play’ platform. It is fitted on existing footprints or as a drop-in replacement for combustion engines, making the switch to 100 per cent electric boating easier and quicker.

The E-Sail Drive is offered in three models – the SDe7 kW, the SDe10 kW and the SDe15 kW.

The SDe15 kW saildrive will be shown at the Yanmar stand at Cannes 2024 (the show has revealed several major changes for this year), and the SDe10 kW will be shown on Yanmar’s demo boat Hanasaka.

“Our electric propulsion system is different to others on the market,” says Floris Lettinga, director of sales and marketing at Yanmar Marine International. “Our technicians have created a clever, integrated system on a plug and play platform which helps boaters to easily switch to electric propulsion.

“We are all on a sustainability journey together and with the E-Sail Drive solution we are aiming to inspire boaters to join us in reducing our environmental impact one step at a time.”

Yanmar is moving gradually into the low-emission propulsion market. The firm revealed in January 2024 that it is developing an experimental hydrogen-powered four-stroke high-speed marine engine for coastal vessels in Japan.

The project is part of the Nippon Foundation’s zero-emission ship demonstration experiment. The experimental engine utilises hydrogen as a fuel, emitting no CO2 during combustion. Continue reading Yanmar’s latest marine news.