It aims to cut fuel consumption by up to 30% and thus reduce the carbon footprint.
The challenge of sailing while polluting less now has an answer. The startup Bosses presented a first step toward the future of navigation in salmon farming: a hybrid propulsion system that combines fuel and electricity. Put simply, this will allow launches and small vessels to stop relying exclusively on fossil fuels, combining traditional engines with electric alternatives instead. This paves the way for a more efficient, automated and sustainable transport system in the fishing sector.
The project has drawn so much interest that it was one of the three winners of Desafío Avante 04, a shipbuilding and maritime innovation program organized by the Chilean Navy’s Technological Innovation Center (CITA) and Know Hub Chile.
“Several competitors are doing electric conversions of launches, but they use lithium batteries. What we propose is to install fewer batteries and a gasoline generator that, hopefully, will run on hydrogen in the future,” explains Bruno Osses, CEO of Bosses.
The key problem, he says, was that electric vessels lack sufficient range. This directly limits the performance and functionality of their systems, affecting fishers, transport operators and vessel fleets that need greater operability and equipment maintenance. “I realized that fuels are more energy-dense,” he explains.
In addition to tackling that factor, the project also seeks to have a positive environmental impact by focusing on a system that efficiently reduces the carbon footprint, cuts fuel use by up to 30% and is sustainable for the aquaculture sector. “Our idea is to take out the combustion engine and put in an electric motor (…) that doesn’t release polluting gases into the water, doesn’t release oil into the water and operates cleanly,” Osses emphasizes.
Now the company is preparing for its next challenge: bringing the prototype to market. “We want to revolutionize the entire energy industry for vehicles. I want the country to count on us, and we want to show that we can do interesting and powerful things. It is one step closer to transforming our entire system into a 100% electric one,” says the CEO of Bosses.
Original article: El Mercurio Innovación
