Siemens is closing the gap between large merchant vessels and small recreational or commercial crafts traditionally powered by mechanical propulsion solutions with the introduction of one, unified platform that combines traditionally disparate on board systems. The company’s new ELFA propulsion solution merges normally stand-alone systems (power management, motors, thruster, auxiliary generators, batteries, monitoring and control) into a truly integrated, space saving solution. By integrating communications with the power supply, the ELFA propulsion solution can considerably reduce fuel consumption and enhance range, maneuverability, availability and redundancy. As the world’s first company to electrify a ship in 1879, Siemens has a long history in marine technology.