Our new electric hybrid sailing catamaran INDEPENDENT I is tailored to assure the most appropriate characteristics for the charter guest. Follow this blog to learn more about its characteristics and the conversion process.
INDEPENDENT I will have two 10.9 kW underwater pod engines each. While fully loaded, the Lagoon 400 S2 will displace approximately 12.5 tons of water, but the engines are sufficient for boats up to 16 tons of displacement. This is due to their high torque of 56 Nm, available from 0 rpm. The engines work at 48V.
The catamaran is equipped with a 44 kWh 48 V battery bank or 920 Ah. The batteries are based on the ultra-safe LiFePo4 technology. While on shore power, on the most common 16 A marina plug, you will be able to charge from 10% to 100% in approximately 11 hours, or the time you usually spend in the marina or on berth during an overnight stay from 8:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Of course, at check-in, the catamaran will be waiting for you to be fully charged.
You will have at your disposal a powerful 13 kW DC diesel generator. The generator is situated in the engine compartment, carefully isolated. The generator is significantly more silent than the engine it replaces and transfers significantly less vibrations to the hull. We opted for DC generator, the most appropriate option for hybrid propulsion, since the generator is directly feeding the batteries with DC current.
We shall install 2.5 kW of solar panels. INDEPENDENT I will have an exceptionally powerful solar array situated above the dinghy and partly on the roof. The inox frame above the dinghy and the wide roof will allow for the installation of hard solar panels. Hard panels are much more efficient and long-lasting than flexible ones. On some spots, as parts of the roof, we will have installed flexible panels, that can be walked on if needed.
For charging the batteries and feeding the AC system on board, the boat is equipped with a 48/10000 Multiplus II Victron inverter/charger. The Multi can charge up to app 7.2 kW or 140 A when you are on a 32 A shore plug. On the other hand, it can provide up to 10 kW for the AC system, which is more than most apartments have.
The 12 V system has a powerful and long lasting 400 Ah LiFePo4 battery bank.
Follow us next week to learn more about the Venus OS and Cerbo GX, the Victron operating system and computer that coordinate the work of the electric system.
