Aspects of modeling an electric boat propulsion system

Electric propulsion systems are nowadays one of the most important ways to overcome the modern energy paradigm. Among other systems, electric boats can take advantage of using electric power increasing the efficiency of the propulsion chain and reducing the pollutant gas emissions. This paper presents and discusses global aspects of a boat propulsion system investigated using a low scale system. The proposed chain is modeled and analyzed using two different battery types (lead acid and Ni-MH) and a power converter - DC motor set controlled according with the specifications of such systems. Using classical approaches (as for instance, for the DC motor model), the proposed solution is analyzed implementing a speed control system with a sliding mode controller.