Electric Boat Review on the Thames

[JorgeinLondon]

Robert Llewellyn reviews an electric boat on Thames.

Quite interesting..

 

[alanch]

A fellow boater moored close by, spent thousands converting from diesel to fully electric, only to find that he did not get the range he required. He wanted to cruise all day at 5 knots and then recharge overnight. Then spent thousands more converting back to diesel. As with cars, its the range that scuppers most people.

 

[oldgit]

A fellow boater moored close by, spent thousands converting from diesel to fully electric, only to find that he did not get the range he required. He wanted to cruise all day at 5 knots and then recharge overnight. Then spent thousands more converting back to diesel. As with cars, its the range that scuppers most people.

Interesting .
If the average cruise of a Thames boater is lets say 4 hours per day ?.probably a bit less,find it curious that if a car is capable of 100 miles at a constantly varying speed and torque requirement,why a boat cannot give decent duration at constant speed. ?
Especially as battery weight/size/capacity would be of far less critical a problem in boat.

More here.....
http://www.eboat.org.uk/history.php

 

[Chris_d]

More of a problem of where you can charge overnight I think, some EA sockets at locks and Marinas of course but that rules out probably 90% of the nicest places to moor, so a bit useless really.
Ok for small day boats that potter up and down the same reach but not cruisers. There is one of those Greenline's on the Thames with solar panels on the roof and I heard that that was quite efficient putting most of the charge back whilst waiting at locks.

 

[Actionmat]

And what happens when it runs out and you're nowhere near a charger? Trusty Honda four stroke I presume.
I can see the point if the owner has a mooring at the end of his garden and his happy to potter up and down the same stretch between one or two locks. Too restrictive for me,

 

[oldgit]

All is explained.

And what happens when it runs out and you're nowhere near a charger? Trusty Honda four stroke I presume.
I can see the point if the owner has a mooring at the end of his garden and his happy to potter up and down the same stretch between one or two locks. Too restrictive for me,

And I thought all those stinky noisy generators rattling away into the night were livaboards trying trying to generate enuff light to fill in their community charge forms.