Elon Musk's New System -- Good for Boats?

[med]

Just to put some perspective into things. 10KW is approximately the amount of energy you will get from a diesel generator with 0.84 gallons of diesel fuel.

If you think you are going to convert your boat to electric motors, then just weigh up whether you think 0.84 gallons of fuel for a diesel engine would give you the range you would be happy with.

[dannc]

The Wall Street Journal said that the batteries should drop in price by 30% when the US factory opens.

They also have "industrial-level batteries," whatever that means, for utilities that are sold in 100KWH units at $250 per KWH. No word on the chemistry.

Later,
Dan

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Does this mean you could sit somewhere in an electric boat, and wait until you had enough charge to make it to the next island, and have the range to make it worthwhile?

Good luck with that... I'll hoist my sails instead but may have this instead of the diesel for auxiliary engine

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by trifan

Amazon.com : Watseka XP Cargo-Electric Bicycle-26"-6 speed-Adult/Young Adult-Black : Sports & Outdoors

Electric bike, $599, up to 14 mph & averages 16-18 mile range, easy shift 6 speed Shimano gear set, 250-Watt brushless motor with a 36V 9Ah removable AGM battery pack for long lasting battery life.

I have seen foldable versions of electric bikes that would stow on a boat.

We have them with paddles for your feet. You turn them and forward you go, without any batteries and motors

[Canibul]

Sadly, doesn't look like we're where we want to be just yet, does it. Oh well.

Hey I did find the weight, quoted as 220 lbs here Tesla CEO Elon Musk Intros Powerwall Battery for Homes to Store Solar Energy

[rgesner]

Originally Posted by zboss

<snip> Also, you are paying a premium for the Tesla name.

The cost quoted is about 1/3 that of comparable capacity in current marine lithium batteries. That's the opposite of paying a premium.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by rgesner

The cost quoted is about 1/3 that of comparable capacity in current marine lithium batteries. That's the opposite of paying a premium.

Yes, shifts in the marketplace like this requires adjusting the autopilot for some Suddenly the old repeats don't work anymore

[beiland]

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

Tesla home unit with 10kWh capacity is $3,500 not $24K. These can help reduce peak demand at home but don't get you off the grid.

Very important distinction. They are built to store the grid's night-time produced electricity (cheaper at night), that will then be utilized the next day in the home. ...may cut down on the power companies need to built extra peaking-plants for daytime power supplies,... if enough homes make use of them.

I wonder what their life-cycle is?

[transmitterdan]

Press release says 10 year warranty.

[contrail]

Not too long ago I bought a really nice folding electric bike, an A2B Kuo Plus. If I use only electric power, I can go in excess of 20 miles on one charge, at 18MPH. If I use a combination of pedal and electric power ("pedal assist"), I can go about 40 miles at about 15MPH. I often just pedal, and then my range is indeterminate. Using pedal assist makes cycling into the wind or up hill quite easy. This is a technology (lifestyle) of which I was totally unaware, and it's great. My bike weighs 42 pounds including the battery and folds up quite small with its 20 inch wheels. Generally I use pedal only when I want the exercise, electric only when I want to arrive without sweating, and pedal assist the rest of the time.

I used to have a folding Dahon, which I really liked, but it got stolen. My electric bike is much better (and more expensive, unfortunately!).

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by Canibul

So you saw the Tesla battery press releases today? They're all over the tech news sites. Wall mounted lithium ions. 10KW for $3K or so. I haven't seen a weight spec, but these take up a wall space 3x4 ft. I could mount one in each hull.

Does this mean you could sit somewhere in an electric boat, and wait until you had enough charge to make it to the next island, and have the range to make it worthwhile?

Wonder what the range would be for an electric catamaran with 20 kw storage...motorsailing on one engine...

You overlooked the mention of 100kg per 10Kw unit, actually same weight as

engine block of 2 cyl Yanmar.

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by med

Mmmm. 10 ordinary leisure batteries will do the same job.

Not sure what is ground breaking here except that they come in white instead of the more usual black for batteries.

A lot of fuss for something which will store the equivalent of about a gallon of petrol.

We need a leading innovating minded yacht electrician to comment.

How safe are the Tesla batteries compared with what we use on yachts now?

How does the space/weight they use for same storage compare to other batteries?

How resilient in yacht environment are they?

Is the mention of 10 year warranty indication they will last that long even in yacht environment?



How stabile is the voltage output?

Do they work well with inverter?

What best shape/design should they come in for yachts?

[Hugh Howey]

Originally Posted by Goosebumps

You overlooked the mention of 100kg per 10Kw unit, actually same weight as

engine block of 2 cyl Yanmar.

But you've got to have batteries anyway. What does your current house bank weigh?

[GordMay]

Tesla Powerwall specs:
Mounting: Wall Mounted Indoor/Outdoor
Inverter: Pairs with growing list of inverters
Energy: 7kWh or 10kWh (up to nine Powerwalls can be stacked for up to 90kWh of energy storage)
Continuous Power: 2kW
Peak Power: 3kW
Round Trip Efficiency: >92 per cent
Operating Temperature Range: -20C (-4F) to 43C (110F)
Warranty: 10 or 20 years
Dimensions: H: 1300mm W: 860mm D:180mm (51.2" x 33.9" x 7.1")
Weight: 220 lbs (100 kg)

➥ http://www.teslamotors.com/powerwall

[OceanPlanet]

I wonder how many marine insurers would sell a policy for a boat with a 350-400Vdc lithium battery on board. Way outside any ABYC rec's, etc.