Marell Boats and Scania to introduce hybrid interceptor

Hybrid interceptor is set to debut this fall.

Swedish boat builder and designer Marell Boats has teamed with Scania Power Solutions to develop a next generation 17.4-meter interceptor with a hybrid driveline, the M17 Patrol.

The vessel is being developed in response to requests from operators, police, military, and other government agencies for high-performance boats with hybrid drive systems that can operate at high speeds during long distance transits with low environmental impact. At the same time, the boats should also be able to operate quietly, efficiently, and in an environmentally friendly way in ports, during patrol missions, on offshore wind farms operations and during sightseeing tours.

The partnership between Marell and Scania covers development, testing, and marketing. They claim that the M17 Patrol will become the most energy efficient hybrid high-speed craft on the commercial market when be launched later this year.

“The new M17 Scania Hybrid offers all the capabilities and functions that you can expect from Scania, i.e., electrification and a combustion engine that can run on renewable fuel,” says Scania’s Torben Dabrowski. “When we are developing Scania’s future hybrid and full electric power systems, the conclusion is that these can be highly beneficial in many different applications, for example a powertrain with instant response, exceptional torque and seamless transitions.”

The M17 is based on Marell’s successful M15 platform that has been selected as a patrol boat by the Marine Police in Stockholm and as a fire fighting craft by the Greater Stockholm Fire Department, as well as a sightseeing boat by Hurtigruten Svalbard.

“We started with a blank sheet of paper five years ago, to develop the most efficient hull on the market with ground-breaking performance, including speed, maneuverability and energy efficiency,” says Patrik Söderholm, founder and CEO of Marell Boats. “We are excited about our partnership with Scania where we together are developing the next generation hybrid and high-performance crafts.”