VIDEO. ZEUS200: eco-friendly, silent and motorless

ZEUS200: the innovative boat generator

It uses an ancient technology (rediscovered even by NASA), it’s eco-friendly, silent, motorless and does not produce vibrations. Mobil Tech’s ZEUS200 generator for small- and medium-sized boats has impresses us so much that we have decided to take a closer look at how this ingenious Made in Italy product is created and how it works.

VIDEO – ALL THE SECRETS OF THE “MOTORLESS” BOAT GENERATOR

It is one of the most popular products exhibited at Milano Yachting Week, our digital permanent boat show. This is not a surprise because, before Mobil Tech’s ZEUS200 generator came on the market, a real solution for small and medium-sized sailing boats (9 metres and up, to be precise) didn’t exist.

Born from Mobil Tech’s experience in the motorhome sector, ZEUS200 produces 200 W (at 12 V it delivers 15 amps), weighs 36.5 kilos and is compact (670x330x305 mm). The keys to its success are its extremely low noise level, its very low consumption and its almost total lack of maintenance. How is this possible? Simple. This generator has no engine. Or rather, not a conventional diesel engine.

AN ACIENT SECRET

To understand its secret, explains Mobil Tech  Technical Manager Simone Barin, we need to take a step back. ” We use a technology that dates back to the late 19th century. Discovered by Estonian physicist Thomas Johann Seebeck, it fell into disuse until NASA optimized it in the 1970s and used it for its probes, due to its high reliability and independence. Just think that Voyager 2, which was launched into space in 1977, is still running today thanks to the Seebeck power generation system”.

The operation principle lies in the passage of an electric current when two dissimilar metals joined together are placed at different temperatures: ‘ZEUS200 has twelve Seebeck modules inside, measuring about 6 x 6 cm, made up of two ‘sides’ of different metals, specifically tellurium and bismuth. By heating one side of these modules with a small 5 kW oil burner – derived from the world of heaters and therefore silent and proven – and at the same time cooling the other side with a closed circuit (consisting of fresh water, heat exchanger, sea water), the thermal differential generates energy. There are no moving parts as with endothermic engines. Forget about maintenance!”.

SILENT AND GREEN

As for consumption, “it is at least 5 times lower than a traditional diesel generator. We’re talking of around 0.2-0.6 l/h”. The noise is just like a heater, so it’s negligible. It certainly generates less energy than a diesel generator, but its quiet operation, low consumption and the fact that once it’s installed on board you forget about it are making it a real bestseller, especially in the world of smaller boats.

It works like a normal generator set: it can supply power to two battery banks (starter and services) and manage other energy sources such as solar panels, turbines or hydro generators, giving priority to free energy. It works with any type of battery (lead, AGM, gel, lithium) and has the advantage of being “smart”: “ZEUS200 is programmed with 16 algorithms that optimize recharging depending on the battery and automatically switches on and off depending on the state of charge”. The price of the ZEUS200 is €4,800 + VAT.

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