Remote-Controlled Boat Design and Build for PEP Competition
Problem statement
Electric boats are on the rise in the commercial marine industry. Unlike internal combustion, or gas powered engines, electric propulsion does not leave a negative impact in the environment. Electric propulsion is emissions-free and does not produce harmful substances that are emitted to the atmosphere. If electric boats took over as a majority in the marine industry, it would have immense positive impacts on our environment because electric boats produce significantly less emissions than gas-powered boats. According to the International Organization for Standardization, their life-cycle assessment showed ‘that the gasoline-powered reference configuration generates 7.7 kilogram equivalents of CO2 (kg CO2-eq) per pump-out, amounting to 37,800 kg CO2-eq over its ten-year service lifetime’ (Hemez). Currently, electric boats are not as efficient as their gas powered counterparts. Despite not being as efficient, fuel costs are one major benefit. Electric boat users will save money by not having to pay for gas to fuel their boats and simply charge the battery instead. One exciting new innovation in electric boats is their ability to be autonomously steered with ease. We plan to build an electric-powered unmanned boat for the Promoting Electric Propulsion competition, hosted by the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE). The boat we build will be electrically powered with the functionality to be manually controlled, or driven autonomously. This boat will provide a boost in the progress of efficiency and popularity in electric boats and unmanned vessels.
Team members
Chase Monkemeyer – leader
Dilan Patel – communicator
Jonah Elisofon – accountant
Dennis Tylets – admin
Client
Michael Cheadle