Draft:Electric Boat Charging

There are several methods for charging electric boats, most of which are currently based off using existing marina infrastructure, or automotive electric car chargers.

Automotive-based chargers
Charging standards from the automotive industry are utilized by many electric boat manufacturers. The most common form in Europe is Type 2 AC charging, which can deliver up to 7.4kW in single phase and 22kW in 3 phases. DC charging capabilities through the CCS charging system are common on many electric boats, allowing much higher charging rates. However, most smaller marinas lack the infrastructure for charging above 22kW.

Standard marina outlet connectors
The most common power outlets at small marina berths are AC 230V, 16A (in Europe). Historically, this has been used for shore power connections for auxiliary services on vessels. Some smaller and older electric vessels often use the IEC 60309, 230V 16A with a cable coming from the boat.

Charging and latching combination
There is a system available called DockMaster, which both charges and secures the vessel to the dock without requiring cables to be plugged in manually. This is a low-voltage DC-based charging system for up to 3kW. It is most suited to boats that are docked frequently, such as rental boats, and where unsupervised docking is required, such as on unmanned surface vessels.

Large ship charging systems
Several large passenger ferries use high-power charging systems with hydraulically actuated connectors. These charging systems can deliver up to several Megawatts.