As the push for more renewable energy grows, the need for high-capacity, long-life battery storage increases. Everybody and their uncle seems to want to transition to lithium batteries onboard, and in most cases, it’s a done deal that lithium is what’s needed to power all of the goodies on new boats. Until now, though, there was little serviceability or recyclability in the life cycle of these batteries, making the claim that they’re “greener” for sailing a rather dubious Catch-22. Enter the Aceleron Essential battery, which won the first-ever citation in the environmental design category at the DAME Design Awards announced at the annual METS show in Amsterdam last fall. Unlike other lithium batteries, which must be completely replaced when a cell fails, this cobalt-free lithium iron phosphate battery is built so that its “battery core” can be swapped out for an upgrade or replacement, or to be rebuilt and returned to be used again. Working to improve serviceability and eliminate “needless waste and loss of resources” is an imperative for all sectors of the marine industry, the jury noted. “Notable iterative design steps towards a sustainable future are those we hope to highlight with this discretionary award,” the DAME jury Chair Andre Hoek said. “For that reason, we commend Aceleron’s efforts with modern battery technologies to break an unwelcome norm for whole products to be disposed of when just one component is broken.” Aceleron this spring named its first U.S. distributor, Lithium Yachts of Ventura, California, and Prescott, Arizona. Aceleronenergy.com
