ZPARQ Z10: Challenging the Limits of Marine Propulsion

Project Information

ZPARQ-Z10

Grant agreement ID: 101248010

DOI

10.3030/101248010

EC signature date 29 September 2025

Start date 1 September 2025

End date 31 August 2027

Funded under

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 2 499 332,50

Coordinated by

Zparq AB
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ZPARQ-Z10 (ZPARQ Z10: Challenging the Limits of Marine Propulsion)

Reporting period: 2025-09-01 to 2026-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Sea leisure and commercial vessels, as well as other watercraft, are mainly based on combustion engines which release large amounts of CO2 and other emissions (NOx, SOx, CO…), as well as, pollute water due to fuel and oil leakages. While regulations are promoting new electric systems, current designs are still far from maximum efficiency as these are based on internal combustion engine designs.
At Zparq, we have developed an innovative cooling system that allows us to reduce the size of our POD motor, which is now 10 times smaller in weight and volume than any other existing POD motor in the market.
Our system is highly modular and flexible and can be installed in any configuration like outboard, azimut thruster, saildrive, sterndrive or hydrofoil and can be scaled to any power range. We aim at optimising our system, scale it to higher power ranges, finalise the control platform including energy management and smart sailing features and validate our solution through several pilots in different type of end users.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first reporting period, Zparq has progressed the development of its electric marine propulsion platform in line with the project plan. Work has been carried out across the different work packages, covering further development and optimisation of the propulsion system, mechanical design, electronics, battery and control systems, as well as system integration and preparation for certification.
A major focus during the period has been testing and validation. The system has undergone extensive bench and on-water testing across different vessels and operating conditions, providing valuable data for continuous improvements in performance, reliability and system design. In parallel, the platform has been evaluated in different marine applications and configurations.
Based on the progress and results achieved, Zparq has now ordered 10 additional systems, which are expected to be launched and enter on-water testing within approximately one month. Overall, the project is progressing according to plan, with the core technology increasingly validated as a complete and robust propulsion system.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Our innovation enables a breakthrough outrunner direct drive technology that brings lower TCO (-40%), lower energy cost and higher efficiencies (+15%), lower drag and longer range for a given energy consumption. On top of that, thanks to our novel engineering design, the footprint associated to the manufacturing of our system is reduced 50% compared to existing competitors.