Two new electric boats to ride on ‘cushion of air’ with energy efficient AirHull technology

Norwegian Startup Pascal Technologies has announced that two new electric vessels, the NABCREW Zero AirBlue 1240 and the Hugin DC, will both be integrating the company’s energy efficient AirHull technology.

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The AirHull technology brings three elements together to reduce energy consumption of a boat by as much as 50%.

• First, the hull has sort of a ridge around the outer rim that meets the water, creating a hollow cavity underneath the boat.
• Then a lift fan, positioned at the bow, pumps air into the cavity.
• Finally, a flap drops to seal the cavity at the stern, creating a pressurizedspace that lifts the boat 15 – 20 cm (6-8″) out of the water, reducing drag and energy consumption.

Airhull technology lifts hull out of the water

These images are taken from a video on the Pascal Technology wesbite that does a good job of explaining the system.

One of the keys for extending the range of an electric boat is reducing the energy needed for propulsion, and anything that reduces the wet area of the hull and the massive effect of water resistance and friction is beneficial.

The active hydrofoiling technology of companies like Candela, Artemis Technologies, Vessev and Edorado is one way to do that. Using highly effective but also complex technology, they lift the hull entirely out of the water.

Passive hydrofoiling, like that used in the DeAntonio E23, does not require special technology, it uses a stationary foil fastened between two catamaran hulls to raise the boat slightly out of the water.

Read: Chasing an America’s Cup Yacht in the De Antonion E23

The Pascal AirHull is somewhere in between, it allows the boat to ride on a cushion of air, so some of the hull is still in contact with the water at times, but less of it than in passive hydrofoiling.

The two new electric boats using the AirHull technology are quite different, and demonstrate the flexibility of the Pascal system. One is a heavy duty workboat built of aluminum, the other a classic wooden dayboat.

Two boats show flexibility of AirHull

The NABCREW Zero AirBlue 1240 is being built by Moen Marin AS, the world’s largest supplier of workboats for the aquaculture industry. They built the world’s largest hybrid electric fishing vessel in 2019 and now their entire line of vessels – from 12 to 39.5 metres (36 to 130 ft) – are powered with hybrid systems.

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