Torqeedo Technology  Motor - Propeller - Battery
                 Superior technology to achieve the most efficient motors

Motor
 

Strong core: Torqeedo torque motors

The motor is the core of a boat drive. With its torque motors, Torqeedo sets new standards in the areas of torque, efficiency and power per weight and volume. The motor which equips the Travel 801 with the effective power of a 2 HP combustion engine only weighs 500 g.

Torqeedo has uncompromisingly optimized the torque motor and, with the introduction of synchronous motors, which come as permanent excited magnet, electronically commutated and designed as external rotor motors, has created true torque giants.

Brushless electronic commutation

In conventional motors, the alternating field necessary for
driving the electric motor is provided by friction contacts
commonly known as brushes.

Torqeedo motors generate the
alternating field contact-free via an electronic digital circuit.
It is integrated in the drive system and regulates the motor
35,000 times per second.

The advantages of this method are significant. The caster angle of the alternating field is better
adjusted to the load and speed, making it more efficient.
Additionally, there are no brush losses and the motors are
maintenance-free.

 

Outrunner design :  External rotor motor

In conventional electric motors, the rotor is located inside and surrounded by the stator. The magnets are on the inside and the coils that generate the alternating field are on the outside. Consequently, the magnetic field where the torque is generated lies relatively far inside so that this design only produces a low torque.

Torqeedo uses outrunners which have the coils arranged internally and the magnets are on the outside. With this design, the field where the torque is generated can be arranged further to the outside of the motor. This provides additional leverage and produces a higher torque. Additionally, the area covered by the magnets is greater on the outside, which results in even more torque.


Rare-earth magnets

Torqeedo uses rare-earth magnets instead of the usual hexaferrite magnets. They have six times the field strength, which means they deliver six times the torque.


Transmission and gearing

The Torqeedo motor shaft extends into a gear box for a combination of 14:1 gear ratio which reduces the rotation speed significantly increasing power. This is achieved in an oversized propeller, a size identical to that of a 20 hp engine, thus creating an amazing couple and an available power in the early rounds.

Conventional propeller optimization

Generally, propellers with a large diameter and high pitch, which turn slowly in water, have the highest degree of efficiency. This is because a large propeller diameter results in a high propellant flow, while a high propeller pitch has a positive effect on the additional speed induced by the propeller.

In contrast, increasing rotational speed of the propeller leads to decreasing efficiencies. As a result of their exceptionally high torque, Torqeedo motors are able to drive highly efficient propellers.

In other words, they can rotate large high-pitch
propellers relatively slowly in the water.

Multidimensional propeller optimization

Most propellers used in outboard motors today are based on a series of tests carried out in the 1940‘s to 1960‘s in the Wageningen test facilities in the Netherlands and by the US Navy. The results are reflected in general design principles and applied by
rule of thumb.

 However, for some years now, large modern ships
have been fitted with propellers designed according to a multidimensional optimization calculation. Unlike standard propellers, they feature pitches and cambers that are not (almost) constant over all the propeller segments. Instead, pitch and camber are
optimized on the basis of a vortex grid calculation method and a stepwise optimization over many thousand iterations for each propeller segment.

With these additional design scopes, Variable- Pitch-Variable-Camber-Propellers achieve additional speed induced by the propeller at top efficiency

Lithium battery technology

Lithium-based battery systems are by far the most powerful energy carriers currently available. Their special feature is their high energy density giving them the capability of storing larger quantities of energy than other batteries.

In addition, lithium batteries can withstand high current, resulting in the ability to deliver their capacity even under high loads. Both of these properties are very significant for applications in boat drives.

Besides performance, safety is a key requirement for lithium batteries. Four criteria make a safe lithium battery:

- safe battery chemistry,

- precise and clean production processes at cell
  manufacturer level,

- safe casing of individual battery cells,

- advanced protective electronics and safety
  mechanics.