New heavy-duty diesel outboards from Caudwell Marine and OXE are about to hit the market, offering potential fuel and emissions savings compared to their petrol-powered counterparts
Late this year and in early 2024, two new heavy-duty diesel outboards will go into production, offering potential fuel saving and emission reduction advantages for commercial, military and recreational high-speed vessel operators.
One of these is the OXE Hybrid 450, the first diesel-electric hybrid in this class, which marries an in-line, 300-hp V6 diesel outboard engine (built by BMW) and a 400-V electric motor. Field tests of the OXE Hybrid 450 are being conducted with a Nimbus T9 day boat by Sweden’s OXE Marine, with the goal of series production in H2 2023.
Noting it was a hit during its premiere at the International Miami Boat Show, OXE marketing and communications manager Linnea Litsberger says: “Interest in the world’s first ever diesel-electric hybrid has definitively surpassed our expectations.”
Similarly, UK-based Caudwell Marine is convinced the time is ripe for heavy-duty diesel outboards and plans to release a 300-hp V6 turbocharged model in Q1 2024. “The market has been waiting for a reliable and durable diesel outboard solution for many years,” says Caudwell Marine commercial director Peter Ordway, citing missteps by others in the last few years.
“One of the big attractions of diesel, as opposed to petrol-fuelled outboards, is fuel savings”
Looking ahead, OXE Marine foresees a bright future for green diesel-powered outboards. “There is a clear trend in the marine market towards alternatively fuelled propulsion with the emergence of electricity-focused companies,” says Ms Litsberger. “However, this is not yet a commercially viable solution today. This is where efficient diesel outboards, capable of being fuelled with fossil-free biodiesel such as HVO100, fill an important segment for environmentally conscious users,” she says.
Forward-thinking leisure boat manufacturer Nimbus group concurs. “Nimbus is positive to green diesel and this is one of several initiatives in sustainable boating,” says chief marketing officer Michael Bohm. Nimbus has collaborated before with OXE Marine, testing the 300-hp OXE 300 diesel outboard on a Nimbus T11. It also launched a fully electric boat, the 305 Coupe in 2016 in collaboration with Torqeedo, and in 2018 put the zero-emission sea-rescue vessel Paragon 31 into production.
“There is an increasing demand for alternative drivelines in the marine industry,” says Mr Bohm. “Nimbus is active in diesel outboard development and has several other initiatives in the alternative driveline area, electric driveline being one of them,” he adds.
The electric motor on the OXE Hybrid 450 has certainly taken outboards a step further. It means the boat accelerates rapidly without gobbling juice, while it can also run clean. “The battery capacity has been dimensioned to enable quiet and completely emission-free operation when visiting a port, fishing, or while traveling in waters where fossil-fuelled boats are not allowed,” explains chief executive Anders Berg. “At the same time, the well-measured capacity, and the ability to charge while underway, mean that the battery can be used to power additional, energy-demanding equipment on board.”
One of the big attractions of diesel, as opposed to petrol-fuelled outboards, is fuel savings. According to OXE’s research, tests with a twin installation of its OXE 300 motors on a Nimbus T11 boat last year showed 50% higher fuel consumption with gasoline compared with diesel. And when run on biodiesel, such as HVO100, the T11 achieved 92% less emissions with OXE 300s.
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