A project to build a luxury day-boat powered by lithium sulfur cells is underway, courtesy of an agreement between Yachts de Luxe (YdL) of Singapore and Oxis Energy, a company working on the commercialization of Li-S battery cell, with the vessel to be designed by Jean-Jacques Coste of Fraser Yachts
Oxis says it will work with YdL to design the new 40ft (12m) luxury day boat, which will carry a 400kWh battery. The design, manufacture and installation of the cell modules and BMS will be carried out by UK-based Williams Advanced Engineering, a subcontractor on the project.
Huw Hampson-Jones, CEO at Oxis Energy, said, “The collaboration with YdL and the renowned French naval architect Jean Jacques Coste is an example of how entrepreneurial companies are able to utilize their expertise and move swiftly to deploy new state-of-the-art technology, which brings with it a paradigm shift in maritime transportation. In August 2020, Oxis successfully powered the first ever US-built electric aircraft with a flight time of just under two hours. The flight was approved by both NASA and the Federal Aviation Authority. Our intention is to achieve the same level of success in maritime applications. The collaboration allows us to achieve this, and provides a level of safety to our seafaring clients, far beyond existing lithium-ion battery systems.”
Jean Jacques, director of YdL, added, “With the highly promising Li-S technology developed by Oxis Energy, we have the perfect match between high power, safety and eco friendliness. After years of looking at the evolution of the Oxis Li-S cells, YdL is pleased to be a key partner of their entry into the marine world through our 40ft luxury day boat. This is the starting point of numerous projects including service boats and our mega-yachts.”
The vessel will be on display at the Monaco Yacht Show in September 2021.