Multi-attribute assessment of a river electromobility concept in the Amazon region

Abstract

In this study, a water electro-mobility concept has been analyzed in the Amazon using the case study of the native communities in the Yarinacocha district in Peru. Multi-Attribute Tradespace Exploration (MATE) methodology is applied to identify the various stakeholders' objectives, generate the designs, and evaluate them. This methodology captured the intention of assessing not only technical aspects but also environmental and economic sustainability. Six monohull designs for each of the three navigation routes identified, plus an aluminum catamaran, resulted from the combination of the three materials (wooden, fiber reinforced plastic, and aluminum) of canoe-type monohulls with two types of electric propulsion systems: outboard pod propeller and long-tail shaft coupled with permanent magnet brushless DC motors. It was found that the Amazon canoe hulls studied require propulsion units of 3 kW to navigate in calm waters and 10 kW in rivers. The silicon-based solar photovoltaic systems are equipped with lithium iron phosphate storage batteries. Each design is valued according to the project's stakeholders' preferences, guiding the decision-maker to focus on those that offer higher value at a lower expense. Most solar boats on the two long routes had higher internal rates of return than the current design. The best options generate rates of 29.62% versus 11% and 10.79% versus 5.26%. It could be demonstrated that electric propulsion is competitive to fossil fuel-based propulsion for this case study.