Life cycle cost analysis of unmanned surface vehicle from ENDURUNS and MERLIN projects powered by renewable energies: A real case study

The deployment of unmanned surface vehicles is rising, with new technologies and monitoring systems to enhance seabed monitoring. This paper shows a comprehensive cost analysis of an unmanned surface vehicle designed and developed in the European projects called ENDURUNS and MERLIN, which is powered by renewable energies. The study implements the UNE-EN-60300 standard to examine the life cycle cost, considering key expenses and revenues over 10 years and estimating failure rates. Net Present Value is implemented for the economic viability analysis of the vehicle through the simulation of two financial scenarios: the company assumes the investment, or, in another case, it is used as a credit loan. The effect of the discount rate on net present value is studied for unmanned surface vehicles compared to conventional unmanned surface vehicles. The conclusions of this study determine the economic viability of the vehicle in all scenarios, reaching the million euros difference of the same scenario comparing the ENDURUNS/MERLIN vehicle with conventional vehicles.