Neander offers with “Dtorque111” a highly innovative outboard for commercial usage. This closes the existing gap between gasoline outboards (with higher risks, higher consumption and higher emissions) and heavy diesel inboards (big boats, often oversized) very well. With Neander´s “Dtorque111” the highest ecological standards of the automotive industry will be reached for the first time in the maritime area. Additionally the “Dtorque111” Neander sets the highest safety standards for maritime outboards combined with a high economic impact.
Identified user needs are e.g.:
1. High durability (10.000+ running hours) – The "Dtorque111" is laid out on terms of 10,000 hours and more. A petrol outboard motor is laid out rather for the leisure area with a lifespan of about 4.000 hours. Thus the lifespan will increase by more than 200%.
2. Low fuel consumption/high range – The fuel consumption of the "Dtorque111" is significantly lower (approx. fuel reduction of 35%) in comparison to the petrol outboard motor. Consequently, the range will extended to the same degree.
3. Easy maintainability – In comparison to an inboard the outboard motor is easy to repair and to maintain. Even the exchange of the complete aggregate which is practically impossible with an inboard is very simple.
4. Fuel logistics – To store only one type of fuel on board of ships has several advantages. If, for example, tender boats / lifeboats with petrol-outboards on cargo ships are carried along, special safety measures (special tanks, arcing protection) must be implemented, because petrol is highly inflammable. Such investments would be unnecessary, if you could use the diesel that is still carried by each vessel, for the outboards too. Due to the clearly lower risk of fire aboard, large insurers have offered lower insurance premiums for customers who switch from petrol to diesel aggregates.
Economic benefit for users:
The main economic benefit for the user will be the lower operating costs. Various tests have shown that comparable petrol outboard motors clearly show higher fuel consumption. With a WOT (wide open throttle) fuel consumption of the „Dtorque 111“ with 10,1 litres/h (fuel consumption of a comparable petrol outboard: 16,5 litres/h), the return on investment will be reached after 1.500 hours (e.g. 1.5 years for a fisherman). First advantage is the lower fuel consumption. Secondly diesel instead of petrol is tax-privileged for commercial usage within the EU. So, although the price for the Dtorque 111 engine will be significantly higher than for a comparable petrol outboard, the ROI will be reached very fast. Additionally the expected lifetime of the “Dtorque111” is 10,000 h. The comparable petrol outboard usually has an expected life-time of a maximum of: 4,500 h. The cost savings after 5 years will be approx. 65,000 €! Herewith these savings and even the ecological impact are a unique selling point.
Ecological Impact:
By comparison the „Dtorque111“ has lower consumption and clearly fewer emissions which were approved by the validation engines. Due to the lower fuel consumption and lower CO2 output, any “Dtorque111” engines saves up to 12 t CO2 p.a.! The total savings of the whole “Dtorque111”- fleet five years after market entry could possibly be approx. 740 Mto. CO2!
Type of market & market size:
The total global market for outboard engines amounts to about 600,000 units p.a. The segment of our envisaged market (40-60 hp) is about 48,000 units per year. Neander‘s potential in the relevant output class in the short term is estimated to be 10% (i.e. a sales potential of estimated 4,800 units p.a.) increasing to 25% in midterm. During the market entry of “Dtorque111” Neander will develop another outboard engine based on the same principle for the class of 70 – 90 HP. Based on the actual structures, the "Dtorque111" currently serves in a niche market. In the midterm many commercial users will recognize the advantages and Neander will deliver a diesel outboard for the second segment. Thus the market potential clearly increases, and a medium market can originate in the midterm. This market has been verified in the course of the project, in particular by the sales partner Yanmar, which is a well experienced global market player in this segment.