While I really appreciate the progress in electric propulsion systems in virtually all areas, the Achilles heel of every setup is the battery technology. And the cost. The old diesel in my E38 will give me about a 40 mile range at 5.5-6kts. The nearest all-electric system would deliver about 25% of that and then require a very long recharge time. The diesel can be refueled in 15 minutes. RT
Bingo! I found this exact same problem! When I became involved in Electric propulsion I wanted to repair my Ranger 37....I was quoted 30k for parts on a 1973 vessel. This was abhorrent. You can repower a vessel, including all parts and batteries for under $7k with our systems, a price not touchable by a diesel installation. If electric propulsion will do well, it will do well because it is less expensive. Furthermore, we will be announcing terms for financing our units soon, for some reason marine items seem to be the only things that you must pay up front for in their price range, we think it would be nice to open up markets to more people.
I'm no stranger to electric power setups, but much smaller. I fly electric model aircraft and the newest technology, brushless motors, lithium polymer batteries, etc. deliver fantastic performance comparable to IC engines with few downsides. RT
I love flying in gerneal, those little planes are the precursor of actual electric aircraft. Their is one or two being made and I know of an ultralight company that builds electric aircraft now, I beleive it was called something like Vector, very cool stuff.
Lead/acid batteries do not have the energy density needed for electric propulsion to go mainstream. Lithium ion and lithium polymer are far, far better. They weigh 50% or more less, have 3-5 times the energy density, charge faster, much faster in the case of lithium ion, have virtually no self discharge, etc. There are a few downfalls, the cost is staggering, and lithium polymer has a tendency to self-ignite and burn at several thousand degrees. I charge mine in a fire safe. RT
We can get 100 miles at 4knts on 33' vessels using existing well-tested technology. The Odyssey and Northstar batteries are excellent choices for this application. They are really just fancy AGM's that are high quality lead with dry chemicals and lots of plate area. We will not support any lithium based technology as lithium is only going to get more expensive and blowing up is embarrasing, we will leave blowing up to my great boat fear, propane
Have you seen the damage L-ion has done in headlamps? There was a very nasty couple of test cases that I have read about.
Some exotic battery technology is out there but we have not yet seen anyhting that will safely and cost effectively store the energy. I am sure that it will come up but it for now, we stick with 20yr old technology.
I wanted to build an electric car and I looked into it seriously. I like to build stuff and it looked like a good project. That is until I did the math. $10K in parts alone, 60 mile range, and still needed the donor car. A used Civic and spending the rest of the coin on fuel would make a lot more financial sense. RT
I have systems designed as drop in for cars but that market is to large to get involved in at this time and they require a lot more energy than sailboats to move. The civic would be better suited with diesel, 40% more range right of the bat. Not the perfect solution, but turbo diesel can be clean and much much more effecient. Any deisel guys start retro fitting cars like the metro and civic let me know, I will take one.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to see your "tractor pull" I know the electric will win also. I've seen the electric drag race motorcycle and cars outperform IC vehicles and its stunning. For the person who primarily day sails and lives on a dock the electric setup is appealing. For me however, with the boat on a mooring, motoring for hours sometimes, then anchoring, then motoring for hours again, etc. the electric would seem to come up short. Given the cost of a good diesel engine and the relatively "cheap" fuel, my current use, I would be hard pressed to re-power with electric.RT
Yes, the big trick to electric has always been the frightening torque. It is quiet and small so people often underestimate the power. About once a month someone will try to arm wrestle on of our demo's and to grab the spinning shaft, this is not wise.
As far as motoring that much, ya, electric may not be the best option for you. I have sailed far and wide in the San Juan and Gulf isalnds, which are supposed to be motorign ground sof useless sailing, but I found I never motored over four hours while being out for motnhs at a time, it is a matter of how each persoopn uses their boat and where. Fortuntaley, the vast majority of sailors have their needs easily met with electric propulsion. Our best cients really come in two forms, the offshore sailor who spends a lot of time on crossings where the motor acts as a generator while under sail and the customer who sails one week a year, every weekend during the summer and one race a week.
Keep working on it however, I will be watching with interest. Maybe A123 or those Chinese lithium polymer makers will get it together and start cranking out cheaper batteries. RT
Thank you so much for taking the time to look intour product. We are following the development of this sit with interest as well. This site could sell web design to other owner sites, very nicely executed.
Best,
Jason L. Russell