GH has just presented GH70e, the first electric marine boat hoist from the e-Motion series. The main innovations in this new GH product involve the development and implementation of a new power supply technology through a modular battery system that replaces the diesel propulsion system of conventional marine boat hoists and the replacement of the hydraulic circuit to drive the movements with an electric circuit and drives.
This worldwide milestone in the electrification of marine lifting solutions is the result of “the effort and hard work of different GH departments such as R&D, the Technical Office and also the workshop workers whose experience and knowledge has been fundamental in the carrying out of the project,” asserts Ander Etxebarria, director of the GH e-Motion Business Unit. “The contributions of all the GH staff have been key in making it possible to transfer all the technology and experience that the company has acquired over more than 60 years in the development and manufacture of electrical machines to this new product,” he explains.
«The contributions of all the GH staff have been key in making it possible to transfer all the technology and experience that the company has acquired over more than 60 years in the development and manufacture of electrical machines to this new product”
The idea of developing and bringing to market a completely electric marine boat hoist was conceived in 2019, and R&D and the Technical Office were in charge of driving the project forwards. Joseba Amunarriz, Haritz Garai, Xabier Iglesias, Miguel Ángel Ormazabal and Xabier Senar, together with the entire R&D team, are the people who worked on the electrical development of the machine. “This phase also required collaboration with technology centres in the area, such as Ikerlan, in order to achieve optimal levels of expertise and to be able to bring a product with the highest possible quality and reliability to the market,” notes Etxebarria. “From the very beginning we wanted the GH70e to be much more than a mere prototype: we wanted to produce a solid product, and in order to do this we made use of all the resources at our disposal,” he explains.
Etxebarria regards the launch of this new electric marine boat hoist as a worldwide milestone because “although there are electric marine boat hoists that have made the transition from hydraulic to electric, there are none with a scale comparable to the one that we have produced.” And with a capacity of 65 tonnes that supports his argument, the new GH70e electric marine boat hoist has “all the functionalities that a normal hydraulic marine boat hoist would have, and even some extras.”
Numerous benefits for marinas and boatyards
The new GH70e is aimed at customers with marinas and boatyards who specialise in bringing boats into dry dock for repairs and winter storage. The new marine boat hoist will offer this type of customer numerous benefits: “To begin with, because by removing the diesel engine and eliminating CO2 emissions and high noise levels, we also eliminate oil leaks, a sensitive issue for them since they are companies that work by the sea.”
The director of the e-Motion Business Unit also highlights the versatility of the new GH70e thanks to its electronic turning system and its variable span. “These two functionalities of the new GH marine boat hoist allow us to fit more boats in fewer spaces and, in this way, increase the density of boats in the boatyard,” he explains.
Finally, we must not forget the savings that the incorporation of an autonomous solar panel support system designed to be able to recharge up to 20% of the daily energy used will mean for the users of the new marine boat hoist. “In this regard, we have already seen how some customers, after a use of the machine that is not very intensive, have not needed to charge it for several days thanks to the contribution of the solar panels,” says Etxebarria.
To all these benefits, we must add the improvements that the new GH electric marine boat hoist offers in terms of maintenance and safety. The GH70e requires less maintenance as it has fewer moving parts. Also outstanding is the fact that it offers greater loading and workplace safety given that it is equipped with numerous safety components, including the solid tyres.
Climate responsibility
“At GH we have been clear about our responsibility as a company for a considerable number of years, and we continuously work to leave the smallest footprint possible both during the manufacture of our products and throughout their useful life and when they are scrapped,” says Ander Etxebarria. In this regard, both the launch of the electric marine boat hoist itself and the incorporation of solar panels are the result of GH’s search “to provide the market with a more sustainable alternative for its products”.
In addition to the electric marine boat hoist, GH has an electric hoist on the market aimed at the industrial sector. Both products follow the green line established by the company with the added value that they include all the know-how acquired by GH over more than 60 years manufacturing this type of lifting machinery. “At GH we are convinced that we will continue to take important steps in the development of this line of products in the coming years,” he concludes.
The era of electric marine boat hoists has already begun