PhilipH
Well-Known Member
Anybody know about the economy and effectiveness of these:
http://www.max-power.com/fuelcell/
http://www.max-power.com/fuelcell/
Marine Fuel Cell
- Thread starter PhilipH
- Start date
Norman_E
Well-Known Member
If you look at all the notes it says that the life of the cell stack is minimum 1500 hours (therefore only 62.5 days continuous running) and could exceed 5000 hours (208 days). How much of the €5000 cost is the cell stack is not quoted, but it will be substantial. From this it seems that using one for continuous battery maintenance might not be a good idea. I consider this to be a new technology that will come down in price in time. I would wait, remember it was pioneers that got scalped by Indians.
pvb
Well-Known Member
Very expensive electricity...
The MaxPower fuel cell is quite an expensive way to generate electricity. OK, it's virtually silent, which is an advantage on a boat, but it only produces about 4A charging current, so most boats in use would need to run the fuel cell 24 hours a day (producing about 100Ah in 24 hours). The fuel itself is expensive, and it consumes over a litre a day. The fuel used to be supplied in 5 litre containers for about £30, but Marine MegaStore are listing 3x4 litre containers at about £35, which is quite a bit cheaper per litre. As Norman's pointed out, the cell stack doesn't last long in constant use, so the likely servicing cost needs to be checked carefully before purchase.
It's worth noting that MaxPower is a marketing operation owned by Navimo (who own Plastimo). They are using the huge distribution system of Plastimo to promote the MaxPower fuel cell. But note that MaxPower don't make it - it's a rebranded SFC A50 fuel cell (which itself has apparently been superceded by newer SFC models). I've seen the MaxPower listed at around £3000, but the equivalent SFC A50 is listed at only around £2150, so anyone really wanting to buy one should perhaps avoid the MaxPower branded version.
The MaxPower fuel cell is quite an expensive way to generate electricity. OK, it's virtually silent, which is an advantage on a boat, but it only produces about 4A charging current, so most boats in use would need to run the fuel cell 24 hours a day (producing about 100Ah in 24 hours). The fuel itself is expensive, and it consumes over a litre a day. The fuel used to be supplied in 5 litre containers for about £30, but Marine MegaStore are listing 3x4 litre containers at about £35, which is quite a bit cheaper per litre. As Norman's pointed out, the cell stack doesn't last long in constant use, so the likely servicing cost needs to be checked carefully before purchase.
It's worth noting that MaxPower is a marketing operation owned by Navimo (who own Plastimo). They are using the huge distribution system of Plastimo to promote the MaxPower fuel cell. But note that MaxPower don't make it - it's a rebranded SFC A50 fuel cell (which itself has apparently been superceded by newer SFC models). I've seen the MaxPower listed at around £3000, but the equivalent SFC A50 is listed at only around £2150, so anyone really wanting to buy one should perhaps avoid the MaxPower branded version.
Barr Avel
Well-Known Member
I have tried to contact them several times, but they do not answer emails or website enquiries... quite frankly it is as if they don't want any trade!
