Energy management and control system

An electric motor and energy management control system for use with at least one rechargeable battery and at least one hydrogen fuel cell, in an electric powered marine vessel, including at least one electric motor and a processor and a motor controller are operative to supply a direct current source to the at least one electric motor of the electric powered marine vessel and, in which the motor controller is operative to selectively switch between providing a direct current (DC) supply from the at least one rechargeable battery and/or a direct current (DC) supply from the at least one hydrogen fuel cell dependent on:

• a level of a drive signal received from a throttle unit in response to an operator command;
• a first signal from a first sensor connected to the at least one rechargeable battery to provide an indication of battery level status;
• a second signal from a second sensor connected to the at least one hydrogen fuel cell to provide an indication of hydrogen fuel cell status;
• and a global positioning system (GPS) that receives a GPS signal indicative of a location of the electric powered marine vessel, wherein the processor is operative to derive an output drive signal from the drive signal and from the first signal and the second signal and to calculate an amount of energy available and the processor processes the GPS signal, the first signal, the second signal and a signal indicative of at least one maritime variable from a list including:
• air pressure, windspeed, wind direction, current and/or tide, or any combination thereof, to determine an identified course and in order to ensure that there are sufficient energy levels within the at least one rechargeable battery and/or the at least one hydrogen fuel cell, selects a most suitable energy source from among the at least one rechargeable battery or the at least one hydrogen fuel cell required, and overrides the derived output drive signal with a reduced output drive signal, in order to navigate the electric powered marine vessel on the identified course.