Sail-pod 25 kW: electric, Italian, environmentally friendly. For sailboats from 12 m!

Italian company Velettrica has come up with Sail-pod 25 kW, a innovative electric propulsion system with a hi-tech propeller that works like a normal propeller, but at the same time allows for energy recovery when the boat is propelled by the sails alone. Ultra-lightweight, with aerospace-derived materials, it is designed for sailboats from 40 to 60 feet: so it starts at 12 meters.

Sail-pod 25 kW

Sailing while leaving behind a clean wake, with zero emissions, fully respecting the marine environment, and above all saving onboard energy is the dream of every responsible yachtsman. Today, thanks in part to technology, that dream is increasingly within reach. Among the new devices in the nautical market that interpret this way of going to sea in a “green” key is the Sail-pod, an innovative high-efficiency electric propulsion system that transforms the sailboat into a vehicle that, as it sails, produces energy to charge batteries and power on-board systems without the use of fossil fuels. Find out at Mets in Amsterdam from until November 17 at Booth 301 Hall 7.

Devising and developing it is the company Velettrica, an Italian startup founded in 2021 by entrepreneur and sailor Roberto Baffigo, who began experimenting with how to go to sea in a totally sustainable way over the course of several cruises with his family.

The “heart” of the system is a dual-function propeller

The 25 kW Sail-pod installs easily and quickly, takes up no space except batteries, and fits all sailboats between 40 and 60 feet. The system is always active and produces no noise, vibration, or emissions. And while we sail at even a few knots, Sail-pod 25 kW recharges the batteries and allows us to always have efficient instruments.

The innovative technology of Velettrica’s Sail-pod 25 kW consists of a multifunction propeller with associated electronic control and command system. The propeller functions as a normal propeller, but at the same time allows for energy recovery when the boat is moved by wind power alone. In this case it closes like a flower and minimizes friction in the water.

Components derived from aerospace technology

All components of the Sail-pod are designed and manufactured to achieve the highest performance and maximum durability, in particular the construction of the most critical components was entrusted to Avio Spa: the propeller blades and fin are made of pre-preg carbon and the gears that allow the opening and adjustment of the propeller are made of Inconel, all aerospace-grade materials, this resulted in the lightest electrical system in its class, only 110 kg.

The scientific validity of Velettrica’s 25 kW Sail-pod is attested by careful tests conducted at the naval tank of the INM (Institute of Marine Engineering, CNR) and in the laboratories of the Center for Power Electronics and Drives (C-PED) of the Department of Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Aeronautical Technologies of the University of ROME TRE, which maximized propeller and power-train efficiency under all operating conditions.