Having worked extensively in the heavy engine market and technology analysis mentioned earlier in this newsletter, it was inevitable that clients should begin asking questions about sectors other than on- and off-highway equipment. Leisure Marine is an obvious candidate, so too is the Genset market, both using similar diesel engines to on- and off-highway for principal sources of power.

The marine sector is, like many others, seeing a move to more efficient technologies in many applications. This is not just because it may be fashionable to do so but because there are real reasons for the drive towards efficiency. Environmental concerns are of course, one factor, but a major driver for the shift towards cleaner more efficient technology is the realisation that craft need to be much less dependent on dwindling supplies of increasingly costly fossil fuels.

This could be KGP’s next large global group sponsored project.

There is a large amount of talk and some activity in the leisure marine and small work-boat sectors (<25m) to develop propulsion systems that can be significantly more efficient through hybridisation. The industry is though looking for global guidance. One activity where knowledge generation is applicable is the HYMAR, a European Framework 7 project to actually develop a demonstrator Vessel. This project is being managed by KGP associate Ken Wittamore on behalf of ICOMIA the International Committee of Marine Industry Associations.

Availability and accessibility of technology is a leading factor in the adoption of hybrid systems in the maritime industry and many look to the automotive industry for leads. However, volumes and thus economies of scale are vastly different. Partly as a result of the amount of funding that has gone into R&D into the automotive sector though, more efficient and lighter weight drive and transmission systems have appeared with many designs in volume production, and driving down production costs.

All of these factors have encouraged KGP to launch the group sponsored project on the subject. This is currently going through the evaluation and costing stage but serious work is likely to commence in the first half of 2011.

Following on from similar projects related to the automotive industry, this project will look at all of the factors influencing the adoption of hybrid and greener propulsion systems in the maritime industry and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each technology. It will also explore options for incorporating different classes of technology in particular types of craft, whether they are coastal, inshore, or inland with possible adoption and production scenarios also discussed for the future.

Venturing into the marine sector was, for KGP, not especially difficult since we have recently recruited Dave MacIver and ex naval engineer as principal researcher and have also been working on several projects with Ken Wittamore a well-known and respected consultant in the field.

More information on the project can be obtained by contacting davidmaciver@kgpauto.com.