Overcoming financial and administrative difficulties, two young French engineers built in Dalian, northeast China, the first passenger boats with electric motors and hybrid.
In their yard, two ships of 18 meters for hybrid to Corsica will, when completed and transported there, pick one hundred passengers each using the diesel engine, faster, high seas, while the electric mode, more quiet and clean, used to visit the creeks.
Located in the high-tech zone of the port of Dalian for 5 years, the company ODCmarine produced to date 30 aluminum boats and specializes in two years in boats equipped with lithium battery, for the French market and European tourism professionals.
These newly developed battery, already installed some pleasure boats, is lighter than conventional Ni-MH battery.
“Ships with a capacity of 100 kilowatts or 50 already existed, but we are at 300 kilowatts,” which means 3 tons of lithium batteries for a 50-passenger catamaran, says Gildas Olivier, 31 years and co-director of the company .
If the rechargeable battery is lead acid or nickel, they weigh too heavy, he says.
“The Chinese have invested heavily in this technology and they were right because it is both effective and safe,” says Stéphane Gonnetand, his partner 33 years old, based in Dalian since 2004, to learn Chinese and work after engineering studies in France.
“In France, the power was previously sold as something very high-tech, very expensive, for no particular reason,” says Olivier.
Entrepreneurs hope that two of their boats already in service in Brest and Sète, allow them to break into this niche “green.”
With a starting capital of 100,000 dollars (74,300 euros), up the business has not been easy. “We had an incredible number of licenses to be made. We had a very limited investment. If he had had to pay bribes, kickbacks, we could not have, “recalls Gildas Olivier.
Funding remains a problem. “Chinese banks do not help us: they lend only to the extent of the guarantees given to them. And French banks are also reluctant because of the introduction of the enterprise in China, “laments Mr. Gonnetand.
The partners hope to double production currently limited to 3-4 passenger ships a year.
The importance of Dalian shipyard has allowed the French to be on site for skilled labor. But it costs more expensive and ODCmarine has faced a year ago a strike organized by the foreman who demanded a wage increase of 30%.
“We pay market prices. It has not assigned, otherwise it was dead, “says Gildas Olivier.
ODCmarine wants to increase the performance of its ships by improving the electric battery management system, currently purchased from a local supplier.
The Chinese “are very advanced on the battery itself, but in terms of the management system, this is an area of power electronics, where there is very strong in France,” to According to Mr. Gonnetand.
For this purpose the two engineers have created, with a third partner based in France, a research and development, Ecoways.
The French are also the Chinese market but are not equipped to respond to local tenders in the field of passenger transport. To take advantage of the boom in recreational boating in China, they are distributors for two years and registered Beneteau Lagoon to the northeast of China, an activity which is about 20% of their turnover of 2 million euros per year.
Yachts and boats of the two French brands are used by wealthy Chinese to catch or hold business meetings.