Page 26: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2018)

Ron Huibers, President and CEO of Volvo Penta of the Americas oices full of stories about robotic ships, and

Please give us a snapshot of your com- there is a great deal of R&D going into mercial marine business in North Amer- this area. Indeed, the ? rst unmanned com- ica?

Our marine commercial business in the mercial ferry is already under construc-

Americas has seen great growth, and it tion in Norway. Still, the technological now represents a signi? cant portion of and regulatory barriers are formidable, our business, along with our leisure ma- and unmanned ships are probably still a rine and industrial engine segments. We long way off. But there is plenty of room have a broad offering of commercial- for developing more automated systems grade diesel engines, including traditional that may reduce manning requirements shaft drives, sterndrives, water jets and – and optimize ef? ciency in marine opera- of course – our own IPS steerable pods. tions. To that end, we expect to see more

We are doing very well in high-speed pa- integrated on-board systems that will au- trol boats and pilot boats, especially with tomate many functions. We will see more

IPS. Field data shows that IPS provides integration of systems and increasing 20 percent faster speed, 30 percent lower levels of automation in the pilot house, fuel consumption and 15 percent faster in the engine room and throughout the acceleration when compared to a tradi- vessel. At Volvo Penta, our strategy is tional inboard shaft drive. It also reduces to deliver a complete helm-to-prop solu- noise and vibration levels on board up to tion tied together in an electronic control 50 percent. The new Gladding Hearn 55- platform. This summer we demonstrated ft. pilot delivered this year to the Virginia self-docking technology for a large motor

Pilot Association is a good example. The yacht. This technology can easily scale up vessel is powered by twin 13-liter 700 hp to commercial vessels.

EPA Tier 3 engines with IPS30 pods, in-

Now for your third leg – electromobility. tegrated with our EVC electronic steering and control system, including joystick. We are 100% committed to electromo-

We are also seeing a growing number of bility. This summer Volvo Penta issued a repowers with our EPA Tier 3 diesels, in- statement of intent to go “full charge” into cluding inland and coastal towing vessels, hybrid and electric propulsion with prod-

Photos: Volvo Penta as well as commercial ? shing vessels. In ucts on the market in 2021. This summer,

Europe we’re broadening our range of Volvo Penta unveiled a concept for an IPS

IMO Stage III compliant engines to meet hybrid system. It uses technology that pending emission regulations. We also see was developed within the Volvo Group a major growth market opportunity for and which we are adapting and certifying support vessels as the U.S. offshore wind for marine applications. We are initially farm industry starts to ramp up. planning to offer it in our 8-13 liter en- gine range, focusing on vessels like fer- ries, pilot boats and offshore supply boats.

What lies in the near-term future for Vol-

We are already testing prototypes, and our vo Penta and the marine diesel industry.

For our segment of the commercial ma- plan is to have a test boat in sea trials by rine market we envision the future as a early 2020 with availability in 2021. “three-legged stool:” Connectivity, Auto- The technical barriers to electromobil- mation and Electromobility. ity are falling fast. Battery technology, in particular, is progressing very rapidly, largely driven by automotive-level R&D

Let’s start with connectivity?

The Internet of Things (IoT) revolution programs in the high-volume electric ve- is in full swing, but the marine industry hicle market. It has been predicted that

HuibersHuibers has lagged behind terrestrial markets in energy density in lithium ion batteries

IoT largely because of the greater dif- will increase by 70% over the next two ? culty and expense of data connections years, while the cost of a lithium ion bat- on the water. But the next generation of tery pack will decrease at a similar rate,

Volvo Penta’s ‘Full Charge’ very small lightweight, low-Earth-orbit yielding a lower cost-per-kW hour ratio. satellites – numbering in the hundreds, or And lithium is not the only candidate. even thousands – will deliver fast, reliable There is a great deal of R&D going into into Electric & Hybrid and ubiquitous high-bandwidth data links alternative energy storage architectures across the entire globe. We foresee a not- and materials, including graphene balls, too-distant future when all on-board sys- protons, supercapacitors and even water-

Volvo Penta has a reputation for pioneering innova- tems, including the engines, will be fully and-salt. tions in marine propulsion. To learn more about what connected, even far from shore, giving We are making great strides in our elec- shoreside operators real-time 100% vis- tri? cation journey at Volvo Penta. Over the company has on its drawing boards we talked with ibility into onboard systems. the last several years we have been qui-

Ron Huibers, president and CEO of Volvo Penta of the etly building competencies and establish- ing the technologies required to create a

And automation?

Americas.

As you know, the maritime media are sustainable power solutions road map. 26 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • DECEMBER 2018

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