Times up for Petrol cars.Where does that leave Boats

[BM]

No ones mentioned LPG yet........ Very easy to do with modern 4 strokes or DI 2 strokes.

[Chris Ryan]

I think Luc mentioned the LPG/Gas thing. Yeah there would be ways to get the conversions for the 4's and DI 2's, but the older 2's (except the VRO types I assume) wouldn't be able to be done and there is a lot of those around.

If a replacement powerhead were available, much like the new turbo diesel ones for the Verado's (www.megoutboard.com) that was cost effective and simple to do, then I would have thought it would have been popular. Worth investigating you reckon?

Chris

[PinHead]

I think having the diesel drive the wheels is far more efficient hence why we are still using batteries to power the electric motors. ie Combustion chamber causes wheel(crankshaft) to spin at a certain revolution. That same amount of revolutions can't surely create more electricity to run an electric motor than simply addind a gear box and propeller and getting that amount of revolutions through the water...... Im not explaining myself properly am i??.............ie 3000 rpm in the diesel engine doesn't make enough power to run an elecric motor at 4000 rpm??

Maybe i haven't a clue but that was my assumption.

Cheers Chris

Chris..diesel/electric ships and submarines have been in use for about 100 years.

[PADDLES]

diesel electric type installations are done to increase efficiency and they also eliminate the power coupling issues that arise with connecting large hp/torque powerplants to a heavy load (can you imagine the clutch necessary for a train weighing many hundreds of tonnes). but they do it at the expense of weight, ie. you need the diesel powerplant, an alternator, heavy power electronics to control the electric motors and then the electric drives themselves. hydrogen is the go, it's damn dangerous though.

[Noelm]

I think what we are all missing here is the simple fact that we only need big HP if you want to go FAST, it may come down to a very simple change in our attitude to speed, like say we could all end up in a 21 foot or so "putt putt" with a single cylinder Diesel using about 2 litres per hour but we are only going 6knots, you will still get there and still catch the same amount of fish (maybe more, because you can troll on the way) so perhaps we should be looking at that instead of being there first in our American triple Outboard "Bass Boat" remember all our early explorers travelled the World in very slow Sail Boats (sails!! yet another option?)

[TOPAZ]

Hi All,

No one has yet mentioned running spark ignition internal combustion engines on 100% Ethanol, derived from plant and other sources (fairly easily done) , or diesel engines running on bio-diesel. Both technologies currently available.

Richard

[PADDLES]

good call topaz

[FNQCairns]

Battery weight is an issue here.

I found an electric motor that can do over 100HP - but with a smooth powerband would be equivilant to 130-150hp in a petrol 4-stroke.

The motor costs approx $4k. Batteries (13x 226A/hr), guages, controllers, chargers are about another $10k. Adds about 150kgs of weight over the motor.

The 13x 226amp/hr batteries is a lot but gives a range of over 120k's and if it was installed in a hilux for example, a top speed of 105-110 kph so they are fair dinkum motors.

This gear is all the ducks nuts in gear - can be cheaper. Also doesn't include gearbox, prop, casing, etc. Wonder if I can retrofit an old outboard?

Wonder if I can get some interest in a 'green' power boat and have it funded as a project?? Hmmm

Hi Chris, tour post is hugely interesting!

Do you have any further specs like weight/dimension of motor? An extra 150kg is not much at all to get 100hp if fuel will not be carried, how much electricity does the motor consume per hour at a decent rating?

Are batteries when setup like this are they in series or parallel or coupled to 24V etc then series etc,

Really I think this is eminently do-able without doubt on a shallow V planing hull if the range = 100km or so.

So many Qs so little understanding of these things, like what would be the cost to recharge the batterys at the cost electricity is supplied to our powerpoint, what sort of torque at 6000rpm can be expected.

Would be a wonderfull project! Withe the firesale prices X industrial bit's and pieces sell for a person could tag something together very cheaply indeed! given the scouting time.

cheers fnq

[Noelm]

I can't see a bank of Batteries and a 100HP Electric motor only being 150KG Heavier than any other power source petrol or otherwise!! a 100HP motor will consume huge amounts of power!

[seabug]

Seems lots of people are working on electrics

http://www.econogics.com/ev/evboats.htm

Regards
seabug

[Chris Ryan]

Operating range 72 to 144V
Weight: 65kg
Diameter: 23cm (9.1") Length: 39.7cm (15.6")

Running At 72 Volts
Continuous rating: 12.8 kw (17.0 hp)
Peak output: 31.5 kw (42.0 hp)
Running At 96 Volts
Continuous rating: 15.0 kw (20.0 hp)
Peak output: 52.5 kw (70.0 hp)
Running At 120 Volts
Continuous rating: 19.0 kw (25.2 hp)
Peak output: 63.8 kw (85.0 hp)
Running At 144 Volts
Continuous rating: 21.5 kw (28.5 hp)
Peak output: 75.0 kw (100.0 hp)

Have a look here and read about the conversion of a 2000 hilux from petrol to electric from a bloke here in QLD. Uses thirteen 226Amp/hr batteries to get 120ks average distance with a top speed over 100kph still with vaccum assist braking, air-con, power steering etc. No petrol engine in it at all, charges from 240vAC (which they generate via solar & wind). http://www.thebackshed.com/Windmill/...p?TID=384&PN=1

[seabug]

75 hours cruising on 15 gallons of deisel.

http://www.elcoelectriclaunch.com/hybrid.htm

Regards
seabug

[FNQCairns]

Thanks very much for that for that Chris the motor size and dimensions are modest! the weight is not much more than the powerhead bit's that would go in the bin.

Approx 15cents per KW from the powerpoint at 85hp = 64kw/h X a 4 hour range = $38 dollars of electricity per 4 hour trip!

Anyone know how many batteries would be needed to supply a constant 64kw for 4 hours without killing them first trip? Looks like a LOT of amp hours needed no wonder there are no planing hull electrics around?

Would be easy to do a put-put though and economical too, but fossil fuel put- puts are already economical.

I am a babe in the woods understanding this sort of stuff but it doesn't look like a person could replace an outboard on a planing hull fishing boat unless fishing close.?? I dunno.

cheers fnq

[Chris Ryan]

No worries FNQ.

Finga - if you are there can you shed some light on this one for FNQ & Myself re: batteries etc?

Cheers,
Chris

[Noelm]

the one problem with charging from the power point at home (untill we have Nuclear power stations) is the fact that the time to charge produces a pile of Greenhouse gases from the power station, it will be cheap to do, but would end up killing us and the Planet! there is not yet any simple answer to all this, I am sure there will be at sometime so, untill we all learn that a slow Boat with a small Diesel is the best option for us all, then we just have to cop what we have and keep paying untill it all dries up!!