electric catamaran boat to set world record

[PanRonnie]

Now to get the price down and even better if you don't have to truck in hydrogen but it can be generated on sight on the harbour

[PanRonnie]

And not forgetting capilar elektrolysers with very high efficiency into 97 to 98%
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28953-x

[David]

Of course the record boat was switched back to gas engines. It was a cool record to set, but electric boats are still far from practical.

For a lot of uses, obviously not long distance towing, electric cars are quite good.

Although one of my neighbors did tow a trailer here from Vancouver with his Model Y, so towing can be done.

[pcrussell50]

Of course the record boat was switched back to gas engines. It was a cool record to set, but electric boats are still far from practical.

For a lot of uses, obviously not long distance towing, electric cars are quite good.

Although one of my neighbors did tow a trailer here from Vancouver with his Model Y, so towing can be done.

People need to separate the The storage system problem (batteries), from the propulsion system (electric motors)…

electric motors are ideal for almost everything except high speed high altitude flight. They are light and efficient (90% plus), and an old and well developed technology. And since about the early-mid 1990’s when electronic commutation (look it up, Cudes) came along, they have been ideal for things like towing and drag racing. You can limit slippage at any axle, better than any system of gear differentials including Torsen. I alway laugh when someone comes out with an electric outboard and everyone gets excited. Because that’s the easy part. It’s getting more than 30 minutes of planing time without exceeding USCG hull weight capacity that is the problem.

So ironically, short run boats like this Hellkat we have been following are a fine use for battery electric. Drag racing is another. Neither are terribly demanding of storage capacity (range), except that high discharge rates require a larger battery than necessary to go a quarter and then back to the pits, to protect against thermal runaway. IOW a battery sized “just a right” for a quarter mile and no more, would be a BIG fire risk. So you DO have to drag around more than you need. The battery Hellkat had to do that too. And at least in their first year, they had to throttle back (probably because the battery was getting too hot).

Anyway the issue for practical transportation is the “fuel”, whether it is a battery, or petrol. Battery is fine when short range, (in anything that planes), heavy weight, and high cost are OK with you.

-Peter

[BarryStrawn]

Solid state storage certainly exists for racing purposes. Obvious example is F1 cars. Expensive and short duration but light weight with high discharge rates for drive motor and accepts quick regenerative changing. Pretty much sucks as a sporting exercise in my opinion, but they seem to want to be "relevant". Looks to me like it will get even worse with the 2026 rules. I think scaling the F1 stuff up for auto drag racing would be tough and a whole new set of safety issues with that many kWh getting loose in an accident.

If Kilowatt Kyle at the Battery Boiz gets that Cybertruck working, I hope they make a filthy old mechanical pump turbo diesel genset on a trailer as a range extender for the drag and drive events.

[pcrussell50]

If Kilowatt Kyle at the Battery Boiz gets that Cybertruck working, I hope they make a filthy old mechanical pump turbo diesel genset on a trailer as a range extender for the drag and drive events.

As long as we are making fun, wish list'y things, My choice for a battery car range extender is gas turbine, as on this hyper-expensive British sports car. It's close as makes no difference to $1M USD, and comes with a 62KWh battery, (83hp for one hour). All carbon fiber. Somehow it still weighs more than 3400 lbs (?). That battery must be one heavy mofo.



^^^Bad azz^^^

Europe and Australia will get it. USA has too strict EPA emissions, overbearing DOT regs, and frivolous law suits. Not the place for outside the box, hyper-performative vehicles.

***
Gas turbines are incredibly light, powerful and simple. Which is why they are the only option for high altitude, high speed flight. For that, they guzzle fuel like nobody’s business. And are expensive. Although up in the thin air, they become much much much more fuel efficient. Cars and boats will not have that benefit.

-Peter

[noli]

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Real Energy comes from people

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[Chaz]

Cody tests the trash can lid vs a F-150

[BarryStrawn]

Whistlin Weasel always entertains if you can stand the general stupidity.

[JLanier571]

https://www.businessinsider.com/trum...rce=reddit.com

So much for not being able to be bought lol.

[David - WI]

https://www.businessinsider.com/trum...rce=reddit.com

So much for not being able to be bought lol.

Contrary to the liberal drivel... most Trump supporters are not against electric cars; we're against mandates, subsidies, carbon credits, publicly funded charging stations, ect. Nobody cares what you drive as long as we don't have to pay for it!

[JLanier571]

That is literally what this support entails. It means the subsidies aren't going away, which many predicted would happen under a 2nd Trump term.

[Chaz]

Wait till he's POTUS , see what he does before jumping on the mental illness train.

Fiberglass resin .. is a he11 of a drug ..

[fixer68]

Wait till he's POTUS , see what he does before jumping on the mental illness train.

Fiberglass resin .. is a he11 of a drug ..

Says the king of the mentally ill! You got a little Orange Chizzam dripping off your chin

[pcrussell50]

Contrary to the liberal drivel... most Trump supporters are not against electric cars; we're against mandates, subsidies, carbon credits, publicly funded charging stations, ect. Nobody cares what you drive as long as we don't have to pay for it!

This ^^^

In the rich neighbourhood next to ours there are lots of Teslas as well as battery operated Audis and Porsches and Jags. And hybrid jeeps for the kids to drive to their expensive private schools. But they are all backed up by plenty of big thirsty petro diesel options. The battery cars are fun toys to them. Not the backbone of their mobility.

Boating content:
These people have Plenty of giant wake surf boats too. Haven’t seen a battery one yet even though if there was any boat that would be least harmed by the weight of batteries it would be a wake surf boat. Though I suspect that building trailers strong enough to support the weight could be an issue as well as maybe requiring a level-up in tow vehicle capability.

Where we boat, the wind-sheltered area that the tow sports folks use is close to the ramp, so the short range you would get from your batteries might be tolerable.

With high end Mastercrafts costing close as makes no difference to $400K USD, makes you wonder how much a battery version would cost. The battery operated Four Winns, that gives you 30 minutes of planing (20 minutes if you want to make sure you can make it through the no-wake zone and get safely on the trailer without sweating it), costs DOUBLE what the petro version with all-day and range does. That said, I bet there would still be a (small) market for $800K USD wake surf boats that you use for an hour or less at a time.

Yesterday, recovering at the ramp (Hemenway, Lake Mead), a young bloke was launching a late fifties, fin-era runabout, with a Cadillac-like low roof over it. It was super clean and retro. In fact, the name of the boat on the transom was “Retro”. It was a I/O. While I was bobbing around waiting for my wife to go get the trailer, he motored by me. Quietly… In fact, all I heard was a whirring noise. It occurs to me now, he had done some kind of battery conversion. He didn’t stay long. I saw him heading back up the road after less than a hour in the water, so that fits as well for a battery boat usage profile. Not taking anything away from this guy. He probably did it all himself and it was super sano. Not the least bit clunky looking. Perfect for a short outing on a calm dry day. Or maybe a small man-made affair like Mission Bay in San Diego where you’re never on plane for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

-Peter