Prototype of a Range Prediction Interface for an Electric Rescue Boat

Abstract: Global warming and its effects on the environment call for electrification of the transportation sector. In this effort, the boating industry has not been a pioneer, while being responsible for almost 3 percent of global anthropogenic carbon emissions. In their attempt to help achieve the Swedish Government’s goal of being climate neutral by 2045, the Swedish Sea Rescue Society has launched a project, in cooperation with many different companies and sponsors, which aims at developing an electric hydrofoil rescue boat. However, given the low energy density of batteries compared to liquid fuels and the low availability of chargers at sea, this introduces the problem of range anxiety among the users. Hence, the goal of this thesis is to develop a prototype of a navigation interface with the purpose of mitigating range anxiety to allow sea rescuers to confidently choose the electric rescue boat over the traditional combustion engine boats on their future rescue missions. Three individuals with extensive experience with sea rescue missions and marine navigation were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Based on the information received from the interviews the thesis presents a prototype of a range prediction interface, using rings on a sea chart to indicate the range of the boat based on a few parameters. The prototype can serve as inspiration for the implementation of a navigation interface for an electrical driven boat in a future phase of the project. We also expect that the thesis will serve as a proof of concept for the consumer market, which, in a hopefully not-too-distant future, moves towards electrification.