Advanced battery pack customized for marine industry in testing
by Vision Marine Technologies 2 Jul 2022 17:58 UTC
Octillion Power Systems © Vision Marine
Vision Marine Technologies (NASDAQ: VMAR) is pleased to share an update on its partnership with Octillion Power Systems.
Per the terms of the partnership announced in early 2022, Octillion has developed a customized high voltage 35 kW high density battery, manufactured for the exclusive use of Vision Marine within the recreational boating market. Currently, all electric boat batteries are manufactured for either automotive or industrial application. Upon receiving the battery pack prototype, the parties began "bench testing", which has met and exceeded expectations.
Xavier Montagne, COO and CTO of Vision Marine, commented, "After several months of design, working closely alongside Octillion's team in their advanced lab, we are thrilled to finally be able to test our very first battery pack prototype for the recreational boating market. We worked diligently to achieve the optimal design parameters with our E-Motion™ electric outboard motor and powertrain system." He continued, "We have already been able to fully test the communication with the battery pack over the CAN bus, and charge it up to 30A. Everything has worked as expected, and we are anxious to test them in a commercial setting in a boat being assembled."
As previously mentioned, our highly advanced electric battery system will be designed and manufactured exclusively for Vision Marine to power its E-Motion™ electric outboard powertrain, and will be the first ever battery pack to be uniquely designed for the marine industry. The product will be designed to be smaller than a typical ICE fuel tank, which will enable it to fit into virtually any boat between 18 and 30 feet, serving to expand Vision Marine's addressable market.
In order to optimize the performance of such electric boats as pontoons, catamarans, and center consoles, one would not only need the enormous power and torque delivered by the E-Motion™ electric powertrain, but would also require a high density, high voltage battery.
Battery making production, battery cell supply, and overall supply chains have been an increasing concern for many OEMs throughout the electric boating, automotive and truck/bus industries. Vision Marine's partnership with Octillion solidifies our significant advantage, assuring short and long term battery supply and therefore commercial production.
Octillion Power Systems is a market leader in supplying EV battery systems as both designers and builders of lithium-ion battery systems for electric cars, trucks and buses. Although Octillion Power Systems is headquartered in Richmond, California, it boasts a global presence with production plants in China and India. This allows for scaled production capabilities required in order to meet Vision Marine's expected demand from OEMs for the E-Motion™.
Additionally, Vision Marine's Manufacturing & Supply Agreement with Linamar Corporation subsidiary McLaren Engineering will also serve to meet scaled production requirements. McLaren Engineering will assist in testing and developing Vision Marine's E-Motion™ electric outboard motor for mass production at Linamar's facility in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Linamar is an automotive parts and components manufacturer and supplier with US $7.4 billion sales and 60 plants operating worldwide.