How many kilowatt motors will be used?
How many kilowatt-hours will the battery have?
How much is the range?
However, before getting to these questions, there is a more fundamental engineering question that needs to be answered:
How much power does the boat really need to move?
The answer to this question is largely hidden in the body architecture.
Water resistance determines energy consumption
When a marine vessel moves, it forces the water around it to shift.
In this process, different resistance components are formed.
Friction, wave formation and pressure differences on the body surface create the total hydrodynamic resistance.
One of the main tasks of the engine is to overcome this resistance.
Therefore, when the body resistance is reduced, lower power may be sufficient for the same service speed.
This is an important advantage, especially in electric boats.
Big battery is not always the solution
In theory, the easiest way to increase the range of an electric boat is to use a larger battery.
However, larger battery means higher weight.
Higher weight may increase the displacement of the vehicle and again require more energy.
Therefore, the system cannot be optimized solely on battery capacity.
The aim of Navarc's Smart Hull Architecture approach is primarily to reduce energy needs.
The motor and battery system are then sized according to this need.
Mission profile changes body
Not every boat is used for the same purpose.
The optimum hull of a vehicle used for short-distance urban passenger transportation and a boat used for daily pleasure may not be the same.
Service speed, load amount, route character and frequency of use directly affect the body design.
For this reason, in Navarc's commercial projects, the route and usage scenario are analyzed at the beginning of the design process.
Optimization with CFD
CFD analyzes play an important role in the development of smart body architecture.
Different geometries can be compared in a computer environment.
Engineers can evaluate total resistance, trim, pressure distributions and flow character.
This makes it possible to develop the body not only in terms of aesthetics but also according to its energy performance in a specific mission profile.
System approach
For Navarc, Smart Hull Architecture is not a standalone feature.
It is one of the key pillars of the product narrative, along with the Stealth Power System and the Captain's Panel.
It reduces body energy needs.
The power system provides the required energy as efficiently as possible.
The control and telemetry infrastructure makes it visible how the system works during real operation.
When these three layers are taken together, the marine vehicle ceases to be just a means of transportation and turns into an optimized engineering platform.