Authors : Robert Poku; Ernest Appresai; Oyinkepreye Lucky Bebeteidoh; Favour Chinomso Onyia; Emmanuel Malachi Daniel; Abraham Mugan Warri; Hope Love Roya

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 3 - March

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/587a5y86

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/bdfvdbsv

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26mar1027

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : The increasing environmental impacts associated with conventional propulsion systems utilizing fuel-based energy sources have created the need for cleaner and more sustainable alternatives for small boats. This research presents the design, fabrication, and experimental evaluation of a battery-electric propulsion system for a small wooden boat intended for inland waterway applications. Materials used for the boat fabrication were sourced locally. The propulsion system comprised a 60W AC motor, powered by a 12 V, 90 Ah sealed lead-acid battery through a 500 W inverter and capacitor arrangement. The design was validated in a river in order to assess the performance, battery discharge behavior, power consumption, stability, and operational characteristics. The results showed that the boat achieved a steady speed of approximately 5.5–5.6 knots with only a small fraction of the available battery energy. The findings demonstrate that battery-electric propulsion is technically feasible for small boats operating at low speeds and offers significant advantages in terms of environmental sustainability, noise reduction, and operational simplicity.

Keywords : Batteries, Electric, Performance, Propulsion System, Small Boat.

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