Pure Watercraft Outboard

[johnbenj]

A Seattle company is working on electric outboards up to 40 HP. They've raised nearly $5M already and have sold-out pre-order slots for their first production. I don't know the range or the battery / weight requirements are but with lower emissions and noise I'd be a buyer of this tech.

How bad is the pollution caused by creating lithium ion batteries? Is this trading one bad for another? Are electric car drivers finding it more acceptable because they're quieter and the consumer isn't an active participant in the fossil fuel chain by not pumping or burning gas?

https://www.purewatercraft.com/pure-outboard/

[ssobol]

Problem is going to be that same as with cars. Where do you charge it up and charging time is going to be a least a few hours compared to minutes to refuel with gas (or diesel).

[johnbenj]

[BTDT]

Check out the Torqeedo web site. They have a number of electric models and have been around for quite some time. I have a 1003 that I like but it is too small for your requirements.

https://www.torqeedo.com/us/en-us

………...and be prepared for sticker shock

[thataway]

Where does the power to recharge that big battery pack come from? 63% of US power is from fossil fuels. (Lots still from coal) 20% from Nuclear and only 17% from renewable.

What is the range--that is just as much as a problem. Do all marinas have the 220V or high capacity 110 V to charge those batteries in 7 hours? What about voltage--I find many marinas, are poorly wired, and may have voltages as low as 90 volts. OH, what about those of us who anchor out and cruise long distances?

I am a fairly early adopter of electric outboads---with the Torqeedo 1003. I have been using it about 6 years--works fine. But it is for short trips to shore etc. Recently I put in a Lithium ion battery for the freezer/refrigeration. It requires a different profile and there are a number of safety issues.

40 hp--on a C Dory 22--if it is really 40 hp--you will be going at displacement speeds.

Not ready for prime time! What is the cost of motor, and battery packs. The Torqeedo "Deep Blue"--40 and 80 hp, costs a lot more than the boats cost--add in the battery pack. The 40 Deep Blue is $24,000, the battery pack is also expensive. My recollection is that to outfit a C Dory 22 with an 80 and batteries for significant boating--is going to be close to $100,000 for just the propulsion system. I doubt that the US technology will be much cheaper.

[jkidd]

Of course with cars your have gearing to help out. With the outboard at wide open is going to impact the range severely. Maybe if you tow a barge full of solar panels behind you. Please try this and let us know how it works out.

[Saxe Point]

[andyrebele]

The power to recharge can come from anywhere. Even if you live where the power comes exclusively from coal, this outboard cuts your carbon footprint in half. The reason is that it's so much more efficient than a gas outboard. Gas outboards are typically 8% efficient (8% of the energy in the gasoline goes into pushing the boat, 75% into heat, 17% into turbulence/noise), while the Pure Outboard is up to 69% efficient.

As johnbenj pointed out, most people start and end at the same place, so installing a network of charging stations isn't the same priority as it is for cars.

A typical outing will use half the charge in the batteries. Charging from a 240V outlet will fill the battery back up in < 2 hours, and from a 120V outlet in about 6 hours. This will be faster than most people need. If you talk with Tesla owners, they're very concerned about charging speed until they own one. Then they're not concerned any more, because they typically charge overnight.

The cost of the Pure Outboard system is less than half that of competitors, because we built our own components, so we own the designs. We're not paying BMW for their very special battery pack technology and then marking it up; we're hiring battery pack experts out of places like Tesla and designing our own pack. The result is more energy per lb than any other system, at a system cost that's much lower.

As thataway says, the cost of some competitors can be astronomical. That's not what we're about. Our system will cost ~ $15,000 for ~ 40 HP equivalent. The range at 9-13 MPH in our test hull is about 24 miles. Longer range will require more batteries and cost more.

We're designing this system to be the best choice for people who have a choice. It seemed that every other electric propulsion provider was designing for people who were forced to buy electric.

See specs here:

https://www.purewatercraft.com/pure-outboard/

See it in action:

https://www.facebook.com/PureWC/videos/2008884432523801/

[thataway]

[ssobol]

[andyrebele]

[quote="thataway"]