Yamaha Motor has completed a stock purchase agreement with Germany’s Deutz, which owns marine electric propulsion manufacturer Torqeedo, to acquire all of Torqeedo’s shares.
Torqeedo supplies a wide range of products, from electric outboard and inboard motors to batteries and various other accessories. It also holds many patents related to electric motors, propellers and electric systems, as well as the R&D capabilities, mass-production equipment and development resources for next-generation environmental technologies.
Yamaha USA marine business unit, based in Kennesaw, Georgia, markets and sells marine outboard motors ranging in size from 2.5-450hp; fiberglass, jet-drive sport boats ranging from 19-27ft; and personal watercraft.
“Yamaha’s acquisition of Torqeedo supports the current mid-term plan and helps to accelerate the company’s efforts toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050,” said Ben Speciale, president of Yamaha’s USA marine business unit. “That goal within the marine market can only be reached through an approach leveraging a variety of solutions, one of which is electric propulsion.
“Through the relationship with Torqeedo, Yamaha will have the ability to fast-track the establishment of a small electric propulsion line-up, complementing the company’s efforts with hydrogen and sustainable fuels as additional means of reducing the carbon footprint on the water. Furthermore, the pending acquisition supports Yamaha Marine’s CASE [connected, autonomous, shared services and electrification] strategy, which helps Yamaha deliver high-value, innovative products to customers while promoting marine conservation and sustainability.”
A study commissioned by the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) entitled Pathways to Decarbonisation for the Recreational Marine Industry, validates Yamaha’s approach to carbon neutrality, revealing that a multiplan approach is the best way to continue the decarbonization of recreational boating.
Through the study, engineering consulting firm Ricardo investigated propulsion technologies across nine common recreational watercraft to compare the impact of lifetime global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, financial costs, usability, performance, range and infrastructure implications.
Due to the unique water environment of boats, the study found there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and instead recommends a portfolio of technologies to continue the reduction of carbon emissions within the recreational boating industry. These include a combination of electric, hybrid, sustainable fuel and internal combustion applications.
Recreational boats, which depend on clean water and preserved environments, account for less than 0.1% of GHG emissions, specifically 0.7% of transportation carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the USA and 0.4% of transportation CO2 emissions in Europe. Due to concentrated efforts within the marine industry, in the last two decades the US recreational marine industry alone has decreased marine engine emissions by more than 90% and increased fuel efficiency by more than 40%.
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