Electric Boats

[Heartland]

The Modern use of electric craft for such duties as tunnel trip boats are now well established at Dudley and Standedge, but what of hire boats?

There was a firm, Swallow Cruisers, at Hockley Heath on the Stratford that advertised in 1990. What happened to them?

 

Edited July 1, 2017 by Heartland

[mrsmelly]

Its simple the technology caught them out it simply isnt there yet, its getting there but we aint even nearly there yet. In 1991/2 I skippered the trip boat from Abbey park in Leicester and we also had 2 day boats one of which was electric motor powered...........oh dear oh dear.........suffice to say whilst I was there a proper diesel was fitted. The trip boat was called " The Duke of Bridgewater " an old Hancock and lane with a lister NOT electric drive.

[Phil Ambrose]

Go to the Broads, there are whole fleets of electric day boats for hire plus electric trip boats, there is even a solar powered trip boat on Barton Broad, called Ra.

there are also plenty of hybrids as well.

Phil 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

We hired an electric day boat from Scholar Green on the Macc twenty years ago. A good fit for the technology. As long as the battery bank is sized so that it won't be run too flat in a days boating they can always get back for an overnight charge and the next days hire. Batteries, control gear, motors and chargers made for milk float builders, so widely available and well understood for many decades. If you really motored you could get to the bottom of the Bosley flight and back in a day, but we took a much more relaxed approach and went to Congleton for lunch before heading back.

Beautifully quiet and peaceful for a days boating. What is not to like?

Jenny

Edited July 1, 2017 by Jen-in-Wellies

[mrsmelly]

47 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

We hired an electric day boat from Scholar Green on the Macc twenty years ago. A good fit for the technology. As long as the battery bank is sized so that it won't be run too flat in a days boating they can always get back for an overnight charge and the next days hire. Batteries, control gear, motors and chargers made for milk float builders, so widely available and well understood for many decades. If you really motored you could get to the bottom of the Bosley flight and back in a day, but we took a much more relaxed approach and went to Congleton for lunch before heading back.

Beautifully quiet and peaceful for a days boating. What is not to like?

Jenny

And now twenty years on? why are 99.9 percent of boats still powered by diesel? or other internal combustion engines or sail.........

[Robbo]

10 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

And now twenty years on? why are 99.9 percent of boats still powered by diesel? or other internal combustion engines or sail.........

It’s the lack of decent affordable storage method that electric propulsion is missing, once that is implemented (more than likely Hydrogen) then It will become more popular.

[mrsmelly]

Just now, Robbo said:

It’s the lack of decent affordable storage method that electric propulsion is missing, once that is implemented (more than likely Hydrogen) then It will become more popular.

Yes the motors are awesome but battery technology isnt there yet and that why electric powered boats tend to also have diesel gennies aboard. Shame innitt.

[Robbo]

Just now, mrsmelly said:

Yes the motors are awesome but battery technology isnt there yet and that why electric powered boats tend to also have diesel gennies aboard. Shame innitt.

Well batteries are not a source of energy, so any solution will need a source, hence why I think it will be Hydrogen.

[cuthound]

If I recall correctly BW were proposing to put charging points around the system in the late 70's, but nothing ever came of it.

[mrsmelly]

17 minutes ago, cuthound said:

If I recall correctly BW were proposing to put charging points around the system in the late 70's, but nothing ever came of it.

Every time I pull up on a motorway service station now I see some shiney new unused charging points. I suppose doing a 100 miles or so on a 400 mile journey then parking up for a few hours before repeating again and again hasnt quite caught on yet. Actualy nearly half a car in every 100 is now sold in the uk that is electric only and a whole 1 and a half including hybrids.

Edited July 1, 2017 by mrsmelly

[cuthound]

8 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Every time I pull up on a motorway service station now I see some shiney new unused charging points. I suppose doing a 100 miles or so on a 400 mile journey then parking up for a few hours before repeating again and again hasnt quite caught on yet. Actualy nearly half a car in every 100 is now sold in the uk that is electric only and a whole 1 and a half including hybrids.

More like pulling up to recharge every 10-20 miles to recharge on a motorway unless you have a hybrid. 

[rasputin]

2 hours ago, Robbo said:

Well batteries are not a source of energy, so any solution will need a source, hence why I think it will be Hydrogen.

This makes no sense Hydrogen is just releasing stored energy just like a battery

[Robbo]

10 minutes ago, rasputin said:

This makes no sense Hydrogen is just releasing stored energy just like a battery

Well that’s all what every single fuel is doing! 

Batteries just don’t do it very well.

[rasputin]

4 minutes ago, Robbo said:

Well that’s all what every single fuel is doing! 

Batteries just don’t do it very well.

so why is a battery not a source of energy?

[Robbo]

4 minutes ago, rasputin said:

so why is a battery not a source of energy?

Because you have to put energy in it, it’s a buffer between the load and energy source.

[Robbo]

Actually looking at it I think biodiesel will be the next step between fossil fuel and whatever’s next, hydrogen just isn’t dense enough (although can be).   I’m thinking big ships here as well, not just inland boats.

Edited July 1, 2017 by Robbo

[rasputin]

i

5 minutes ago, Robbo said:

Because you have to put energy in it, it’s a buffer between the load and energy source.

It is an energy storage system like coal or hydrogen or a capacitor

[Robbo]

Just now, rasputin said:

i

It is an energy storage system like coal or hydrogen or a capacitor

But a very poor one, the energy density is really low (the same with ultra capacitors).

[rasputin]

1 minute ago, Robbo said:

But a very poor one, the energy density is really low (the same with ultra capacitors).

still a source of energy then, like coal hydrogen or a capasitor

[Robbo]

1 minute ago, rasputin said:

still a source of energy then, like coal hydrogen or a capasitor

No, as you need to put energy in it from another source.   Coal is a source, like diesel and Hydrogen. 

[rasputin]

So coal didn't get its energy from the sun?

[Robbo]

What you mean Hydrogen, the suns fuel source!

Edited July 1, 2017 by Robbo

[rasputin]

yes

[Heartland]

There is a hydrogen powered boat at Birmingham University- it was moored on the Worcester & Birmingham by the University grounds. I though I caught a glimpse of it when I came back from the RCHS 9th Waterways History Conference on the 24th June.

The discussion on electric boats is useful. There is a lot of investment into electric powered automobiles and cars as well as the hybrid version where an internal combustion engine charges up the batteries for general drive. It would be nice to see that technology being adapted more widely for waterways use. This technology uses Lithium ion batteries, however, and Lithium, which is in the same periodic group as Sodium, has a tendency to catch fire. The use of this element would have to be carefully controlled for waterway use, I suspect.

[Richard10002]

1 hour ago, Heartland said:

There is a hydrogen powered boat at Birmingham University- it was moored on the Worcester & Birmingham by the University grounds. I though I caught a glimpse of it when I came back from the RCHS 9th Waterways History Conference on the 24th June.

The discussion on electric boats is useful. There is a lot of investment into electric powered automobiles and cars as well as the hybrid version where an internal combustion engine charges up the batteries for general drive. It would be nice to see that technology being adapted more widely for waterways use. This technology uses Lithium ion batteries, however, and Lithium, which is in the same periodic group as Sodium, has a tendency to catch fire. The use of this element would have to be carefully controlled for waterway use, I suspect.

and given the difficulty many of us seem to have keeping our batteries charged and alive for domestic use, imagine the difficulties there will be with batteries used to power the engine.... particularly if no shore power every day or so.