As policymakers in the United States and around the world decide how to tackle climate change through regulation, one of the top priorities at the National Marine Manufacturers Association is to communicate and advocate for a science-based, real-world approach to decarbonizing the marine industry’s global footprint. Articulating the right path is critically important because recreational boating’s market demands, energy needs, safety concerns and use cases are novel when compared with on-land approaches.
At Metstrade in November, the NMMA joined the International Council of Marine Industry Associations to announce a breakthrough life-cycle assessment study outlining the broad portfolio of technologies best-positioned to further propel our industry toward decarbonization. The research, which looked at marine propulsion in boats under 24 meters (78 feet), revealed that because of the unique on-water environment for recreational boating, and the varied interests of boaters and the experiences they seek, a variety of solutions must be considered to continue reducing carbon emissions.
The independent, peer-reviewed research report, titled “Pathways to Propulsion Decarbonisation for the Recreational Marine Industry,” provides guidance to global governments and boating stakeholders as they work together to shape investments in technology and policy. The study shows that good marine public policy must take a technology-agnostic approach, support innovation, and not focus on any one type of energy or propulsion system.
Our industry has a great story to tell. Recreational boats account for less than 0.1% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, specifically 0.7% of transportation carbon-dioxide emissions in the United States and 0.4% of transportation carbon-dioxide emissions in Europe. For context, 46% of emissions are generated by powering homes and industry, and 14% of emissions are generated by global transportation. We produce incredibly durable products, with many that last more than 40 years. And during the past two decades, marine engine emissions have decreased by more than 90%, while fuel efficiency increased by more than 40%.
Beyond this progress, the global recreational marine industry remains highly committed to leading conservation efforts that protect the natural marine environment, and to identifying ways to expand critical investments in conservation. Our love for boating is fundamentally reliant on a healthy and sustainable marine environment, and we must take care of that resource for generations to come.
ICOMIA has united the global recreational marine industry around the most comprehensive, peer-reviewed research ever conducted about further reducing recreational boats’ carbon emissions, providing the data we need to begin educating policymakers, our stakeholder community, and boaters on the varied decarbonization solutions so unique to our industry. This new research also provides guidance about the focus for future innovations.
The report was commissioned by ICOMIA and independently conducted by global engineering consulting firm Ricardo. The task was to investigate propulsion technologies across nine common recreational watercraft and then compare the impact of lifetime greenhouse gas emissions, financial costs, usability, performance, range and infrastructure implications. The propulsion technologies investigated included battery electric (electric-powered boats and watercraft); hybrid electric (internal combustion engines using liquid fuel and electric); hydrogen (internal combustion engines or fuel cell); internal combustion engines with sustainable marine fuels (sustainably produced liquid substitute for conventional fossil fuel); and internal combustion engines with gasoline or diesel.
Those in our industry know recreational boats are considerably different than other transportation sectors, including automotive. Unlike cars, which are relied on to get from point A to B, boats are used for leisure and vary significantly not only in how, but also in how often they are used. (Many gasoline-powered recreational boats are operated an average of 35 to 48 hours per year.) The research also looked at the impact on cost of ownership based on propulsion technology. Compared to boats on the water today, the report found, increases in cost of ownership are expected to range from 5% to 250% until alternatives achieve market scale.
Because of the diversity of boat types and the varied experiences consumers want, from fishing to water sports to cruising, the research showed there is no universal approach to decarbonize recreational boats. As a result, in addition to leveraging current internal-combustion and fossil-fuel-powered boats, we must consider a portfolio of emerging technologies.
Sustainable liquid marine fuels, such as renewable drop-in fuels, are expected to be the most suitable source of energy to decarbonize boats — by as much as 90% — by 2035 without compromising the distance a boat can travel or its performance. Of the approximately 30 million recreational boats in use worldwide, with an average total life cycle of 40 to 50 years and global annual sales making up approximately 2% of the size of the current market, there is tremendous potential for increased decarbonization of the existing fleet with immediate, widespread adoption of drop-in sustainable marine fuels.
Hydrogen is an emerging technology and another potential source for reducing carbon emissions from boats, as long as its production process is optimized. Hydrogen, if produced through electrolysis with zero fossil-fuel electricity, can reduce carbon emissions for certain vessel categories.
Electric propulsion is part of the strategy to decarbonize; however, until there is a battery-density breakthrough, it is not universally suitable for all types of recreational craft and use cases. Surprisingly, the study shows that electric-only propulsion may, in fact, have a higher greenhouse-gas contribution from raw materials and manufacturing than current conventional propulsion systems in some use cases. Watercraft types with lower utilization are unlikely to find that battery electric systems yield a reduction in greenhouse gases compared with the baseline internal combustion engine.
It’s important to note that Ricardo’s study considered battery lifetime in years and recharging cycles, as battery performance is expected to degrade over time regardless of utilization. This could impact watercraft with a long life span that are not frequently used, as the watercraft may require several battery replacements during its lifetime.
Hybrid boats using both electric and internal combustion engines powered by liquid fuels offer the potential for reducing carbon emissions in certain scenarios — namely, boats used for longer periods of time and for greater distances. As a result, hybrid technology provides the most potential for emissions reductions for boats that are used for rentals and other high-use environments.
Moving forward, it is important that we advocate for a global policy agenda that advances a technology-neutral decarbonization approach for marine environments; accelerates development and distribution of sustainable marine fuels; establishes marine electric technology standards and consumer safety protocols; expands R&D tax credits and investments to improve electric battery density and hydrogen research applied to the marine environment; and further evaluates existing and emerging technologies and how to best apply them to the marine environment.
Recreational boating has made great progress during the past two decades, and we embrace the challenges and opportunities ing creating a sustainable future. Through this research and ICOMIA’s global education campaign, we’re uniting the recreational marine industry around a portfolio of solutions that creates positive change through multiple pathways and a thoughtful framework that’ll collectively move our global industry forward.
To learn more about the report’s findings, visit PropellingOurFuture.com.
This article was originally published in the January 2023 issue.
