Canadian Yachting June 2020 - 28

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Jaguar Vector V20E

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Can adian Ya cht i ng

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF
ELECTRIC BOATS?
Looking at just 3 boats that exist today
gives us a glimpse of what the future
holds. First is the beautifully designed,
classic Bruce 22 from the Canadian
Electric Boat Company. Capable of 35
knots, this sleek boat can cruise at 17
knots powered by a 100 kW (136 hp)
Piktronik motor and 75 kW/h - 104.4
kW/h Lithium battery. Built in Montreal,
the Bruce 22 is one of 4 CEBC boat
designs. (Electricboats.ca)
On June 2018, Jaguar Vector Racing
broke the outright world and national electric speed records in a battery-powered
boat. The unique Jaguar Vector V20E
recorded an average speed of 88.61mph
across the two legs of the famous 1km
course on Coniston Water, England.
The electric boat was designed and
constructed by Jaguar Vector in partnership with Jaguar Racing's technical partner
Williams Advanced Engineering. (Search:
Jaguar Vector Boat)
Since 2017, the Energy Observer
(Energy-Observer.org) has been cruising
the globe, expanding the knowledge base
for sustainable energy and electric propulsion. Propelled by 2 sails, called Oceanwings® with a surface of 31.5 m2, each
wing is self-supporting and has a rotation
capacity of 360°.
The two banks of batteries provide
short term immediate power, while the hydrogen provides long-term autonomy. But
above all, the Energy Observer demonstrates the potential advantage that
hydrogen has over batteries. The battery
set weighs 1,400 kg for 112 kWh. The
hydrogen storage and fuel cell together
weigh 1,700 kg for 1,000 kWh. This
means 1 kWh weighs 12.5 kg when stored
in batteries, and only 1.7 kg when stored
as hydrogen. This project is backed by
Toyota. The R&D to advance both electric
and hydrogen storage is of major interest

THE SOLAR SOLUTION
Where lithium-Ion batteries represent
a quantum leap forward in marine
battery design, they work even better
when combined with solar panels that
can maintain a constant trickle charge
and offset parasitic loads.
With five to six hours of daily sunlight,
a pair of 100-watt solar panels can
generate from 60 to 72 amp hours'
worth of power every single day. That
additional charge is enough to provide
an extra hour or two of air conditioning or heating, along with power left
over to microwave some popcorn and
enjoy a movie on DVD. Further, solar
trickle charging helps reduce the
depth of discharge on batteries,
resulting in extended battery life.
While solar may not function as the
primary battery charger, it will definitely extend battery charge life and,
in turn, the service life of the battery
itself. Adding a couple of solar panels
to your system makes the most of
every opportunity, and that's what
today's power systems are all about.

to the car company that reportedly has
10,000 hydrogen powered cars - primarily
in California and Japan.
CONCLUSION
Electric power is not for everyone and
possibly not even for most. Hybrid technologies can include an efficient generator to charge batteries when there is no
sun or wind.
But weening off of fossil fuels is more
than just propulsion - it is about comfort
and convenience as well. Choosing a suitable storage and charging system will mean
we can stay away from docks and marinas
for longer periods of time. And that is what
many cruising boaters are looking for in
their precious few weeks of cruising vacation, or to stretch their long term cruising
funds, when they have figured out how to
not have to punch a clock.*

JUNE 2020

http://www.Electricboats.ca http://www.Energy-Observer.org http://cowangroup.ca/boats

Canadian Yachting June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting June 2020