Pascoe International have announced the sale of the world’s first 100% electric superyacht limousine tender. Pascoe International can confirm that the first fully electric limousine tender is now under construction and will be delivered in 2023 to a large new-build mothership from a major Northern European shipyard. Following a six-year research and development period, Pascoe International is now offering full electric propulsion for their limousines and open guest tenders.

om Southern, Vice president of Pascoe International stated, “With enquires for electric tenders increasing week on week, the sale of the first e-Limousine marks the start of a shift away from conventional propulsion systems. I personally believe that within the next couple of years we will see a significant increase in the number of fully electric main guest tenders. To accommodate this increase in demand, Pascoe have recently moved to a purpose built, state of the art manufacturing facility & design studio on the banks of the river Hamble. Our vision was to create a new home for Pascoe that represents the quality and innovation of our tenders. The new site will be a centre of excellence for Research and Development and will showcase the best of British Marine Manufacturing skills.”

The Limousine Tender features a top speed of 40 knots and a maximum range of 60 miles, a step in the right direction for luxury water-borne travel and a move away from internal combustion propulsion systems in the superyacht sector. Pascoe International’s technical team have been studying the viability of electric-tender propulsion in collaboration with expert advisors and research partners for a number of years. During this process they have carried out extensive R&D on hull design, motor integration, battery performance and whole-system optimisation. Their Partners include automotive electrification specialists, propeller designers, battery manufacturers and leading university research teams.

While details on the motivations behind the clients purchase can not be revealed, Southern was keen to speculate on the industries future direction, “I can say that whilst there is certainly a drive from within the industry to highlight the importance of sustainable technologies, there is also a clear demand from owner's to bring the advancements we are seeing in the automotive world across to the marine sector. The main benefits are increased comfort onboard due to the reduction in noise and vibration and the knowledge that 100% emission free at point of use tenders are utilising the latest and most advanced technologies available.

For a yacht owner and their guests, the appeal of an electric limousine tender is not just environment-related. Whilst considerable fossil fuel savings are achieved by charging the tender from the ship’s own power generation systems compared to running the tender directly on diesel, there are other key advantages. These include a near total removal of torsional vibration transmitted into the hull structure, considerable reduction in noise (both inside the cabin and outside the tender), a significant increase in acceleration due to the torque profile of the electric motors and of course the knowledge that they are leading the global shift to zero-emission at point of use technologies.

The Pascoe e-Limousine based on the company’s award-winning SL platform uses the latest oil-cooled electric motors. Ensuring the most efficient transfer of power from the motor to the water is one of the critical areas that will set the e-Limousine apart from any other craft currently in use or indeed under development elsewhere. Pascoe International have partnered with experts in marine propulsion to develop a new drive system that provides optimum propulsion efficiency whilst removing the noise and vibration associated with a conventional stern-drive. The e-Limousine drive will also offer joystick docking.

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