Thank you all who came and tested the Beneteau Hybrid Trawler by Elco. The skies were blue and we were green cruising in the 34 foot trawler – clean, pure electric power. Elco worked closely with Beneteau and Cummins Diesel for the perfect fit and turned to ZF Transmissions to offer flip of the switch operation from diesel to electric.
Some of the benefits of the Elco Electric Hybrid ‘
- With the flip of a switch go from electric power to diesel
- Cruise over 5 knots on the Elco electric motor – quiet, green efficient
- Under diesel power regenerate the batteries
- Cruise for over 31/2 hours on electric power
- Run the generator and cruise continuously on the Elco electric motor
Elco started with a completely stock Beneteau Swift Trawler 34 (hull number 271), which had a 425-horsepower Cummins turbo diesel. That standard power plant is good enough to push the Swift Trawler 34 up to about 20 knots, with a reasonable and efficient cruise speed of around 15 knots.
To that Elco added a 72-volt, 20-horsepower belt drive electric motor/generator, a bank of 12 absorbed glass mat batteries, a 7.5-kilowatt diesel generator, a beefed-up battery charger, a battery management system, and helm control panel. Most everything else about the boat, including the five-bladed prop, is stock. The batteries, charger, generator, and electric motor/generator add approximately 2,200 pounds to the boat, and the batteries are situated in such a way as to keep the boat in trim.