Five Ways to Cut Down on Amp Usage

Five ways to cut down on amp usage

Most modern marine equipment has evolved to require much less power. When you’re in the boatyard this spring, do more with less and cut down on amp usage.

Radar

Arguably, you use radar under way when your engines are running, so who really cares how much power it’s using?

On the other hand, if your electronics suite is due for an upgrade, consider a more efficient unit. In standby mode, radar doesn’t draw much, but when it’s transmitting, the power needs are quite high. Consider one of the new units like the Simrad Halo that comes with either open or closed array antennas. This solid-state, pulse compression radar delivers a mix of close-in and long-range detection and excellent target definition with low clutter.

It has five modes to help process a variety of targets and a range from 48 to 72 nautical miles. The Halo is available for both 24- and 12-volt applications and an added bonus is its ultra-low electromagnetic and radiation emissions.
That means you can put one on the flybridge with you and not worry too much about scrambling your brain when the radar is running.

Climate Control

Air conditioners create the greatest energy loads aboard, and chances are the older your system, the more power it takes. New units from companies like Dometic are smaller,
self-contained and quieter with vibration-isolation mounts. Their high-efficiency rotary and scroll blowers use fewer amps and notably reduce fatiguing sound. Italian company Termodinamica (TMD) offers 24-volt DC units that don’t even need a genset. Made with titanium heat exchangers, the TMD units touts a power consumption rate that’s 50 percent lower than other comparably sized units on the market. Many air conditioners today also have an ECO mode where they ramp down if they are running off of batteries, via an inverter, and the battery voltage starts to fall. Adding window shades and tinted glass will also relieve the pressure on air conditioners and may even help refresh your interior design.

Refrigeration

The fridge also is a major power hog. Refrigerator efficiency has to do with the type
of unit (air, water or keel-cooled) and the quality of insulation around the box.
Frigoboat has highly efficient fridges in both 12- and 24-volt applications with refrigerator, freezer or combo solutions.

Their unique keel-cooled system is reliable, efficient and quiet with no pump or fan to create noise, and it doesn’t need winterizing. Check the age and condition of your insulation, too, or just tear out the old stuff and install some stainless steel drawers that will also upgrade the boat’s aesthetics.

Isotherm offers plug-and-play solutions with their cabinet refrigerators powered by 12/24-volt Danfoss compressors. These units feature extra thick, but still compact, insulation so the boxes stay cold with less power. They even have stand-alone, plug-in coolers for use on deck so you can keep your beverages nearby and not have to open the galley refrigerator as much.

These Travel Boxes also have ECO modes to slow the compressor once the food and drinks are already chilled.

Lighting

Most new boats now come standard with interior and exterior LED lighting, but if your vessel is of an older vintage, it would be worth swapping out your deck, salon and galley lights for new ones that draw less power. Imtra offers a variety of fixtures to help you upgrade the look of your interior including courtesy lights that create an impressive ambiance. As design trends move from direct to indirect lighting, options migrate from
down and spotlights to strip and rope lighting hidden behind valences and under furniture.

Evolved whites in LED options are now available, so it’s not hard to create a warm glow.
Efficient lights include navigation or running lights like those by Attwood, Perko, LopoLight, and Aqua Signal. You’ll save a few amps with an LED anchor light that you forget to turn off.

Finally, don’t forget those power-hogging heat generators below the waterline. Underwater lights are known as large consumers of power. New developments in optical design, thermal management, and marinized electrical components have created lights that are brighter and use less power.

Lumishore’s thru-hull and surface mount, full-color cycling lights can replace older lights and provide better color while they use less power, and they can even be paired with
sound to “dance” to music. That’s worth the price of admission alone.

Battery Efficiency

Finally, efficiency comes down to the size, quality, and type of your battery bank. Charging with a genset is more efficient than charging with the engines and alternators, but a good battery bank is also important to your onboard power equation. The better the efficiency of a battery, the higher its charge acceptance rate, which is the amount of energy that can be pumped into a battery in a given period. Wet cells are about 60 percent efficient, gel cells 75 percent and AGMs 85 percent.

AGMs, especially any of the thin plate, pure lead (TPPL) variants, also have the highest charge acceptance rate, so they will optimize system performance. How you charge is also important. Charging cool batteries quickly is most efficient. For banks that are especially depleted, it may be best to charge with engines and the genset simultaneously. As batteries heat up during charging, it takes longer to get that last percent of charge pushed in despite the genset running just as hard as in the beginning.

These are just a few ideas on how you can save power and thereby burn less fuel and shrink your carbon footprint. Some of these are bigger projects, while others are a matter of just upgrading aging equipment. Chances are that some of these systems will pay for themselves down the road in operation costs, fuel and wear and tear on your engines or genset.

By Zuzana Prochazka, Southern Boating March 2019

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Electric Power for Boats

Changing the future: Electric Power for Boats

Electric power for boats is a viable, emission-free propulsion alternative in certain applications.

A lot has happened since Ben Franklin first captured lightning in a bottle. Consider, if you will, these four remarkable technological advancements that led to electric power for boats:

—Enlil, a vertical access wind turbine manufactured by Turkish company Deucei Tech and installed on the medians of major highways, harnesses the energy via the wind generated by passing traffic at the rate of one kilowatt per hour.

—South Korea’s Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station, the largest in the world with a seawall containing 10 turbines, generates some 254 megawatts of electrical power. A megawatt, by the way, translates to one million watts.

—Regardless of what you think of its controversial founder, mention Tesla and images of electrically powered cars dominating the roadways in the near future come to mind.

—Global industrial giant Siemens teamed up with Norway’s Fjellstrand shipyard to develop and build a 262-foot-long, electrically operated emission-free ferry, in service since 2015, that can accommodate 360 passengers and 120 vehicles.

To the point, it’s not too much of a stretch for new, technologically driven ideas to find their way into the marine industry to harness electrical power and make some practical applications possible.

Dasher

Enter Hinckley’s Dasher: the world’s first, fully electric yacht. This 28-foot, 6-inch beauty was introduced in 2017 at the Newport Boat Show. Utilizing cutting-edge technology such as 3D printing to shape finite details and a carbon-epoxy composite hull, Dasher was designed and built expressly for Hinckley’s Whisper Drive silent propulsion system.

It makes use of twin Torqeedo Deep Blue 80-hp electric motors, a pair of 50-amp dock chargers, two BMW i3 lithium-ion batteries, and is able to cruise at 10 mph with a fast cruise between 18 and 27 mph. According to Hinckley, the range for the former is approximately 40 miles and 20-25 miles for the latter. Plus, her charging system can fully charge the batteries in about four hours.

Greenline Yachts

Greenline Yachts offers four of their models as hybrids; that is, its yachts utilize solar, electric and diesel power and range in size from 33, 39, 40, and 48 feet. Its NEO model, offered in coupe, hardtop and open at 32 feet, 9 inches, is available in either traditional outboard power or an eDrive system. A pair of 80-hp Torqeedo Deep Blue engines is coupled with two high-performance lithium batteries for a total of 61kWh.

According to Greenline, this allows for a maximum range of 40 nm at an economical 6-knot turn of speed. At full throttle, NEO’s eDrive will reach a top speed of 16 knots with a range of 20 nm. As well, its larger boats make use of its Hybrid Drive.

Combined with efficient hull design, this part of the lineup combines three energy sources: inverter with lithium storage batteries, inboard diesel power with a generator and a solar roof array. The electric motors and diesel engines are both connected to the prop shaft.

Nova Luxe

New to the electric scene and willing to position himself for the upswing is Marc Hawkshurst of Nova Luxe Yachts, who chooses stable, efficient catamaran hulls from builders such as Aquila, Fountaine Pajot, Endeavour, and Maine Cat. The Nova Luxe vision is to design and build its vessels with alternative power always in mind, which means using the latest technologies to maximize performance, including the use of strong, lightweight building materials and resin infusion.

Nova Luxe used the proven Torqeedo 80-hp Deep Blue electric engines and the i3 BMW batteries, combined with a solar array and a generator, for its first entry into this sector with an Aquila 44.

The owner chose the boat for its three-cabin layout and wide beam. The vessel’s diesel engines were replaced with new electric engines. The roof now accommodates large solar panels. Once completed—a launch date in early 2019 is possible—with a pair of 30kW batteries (60kW total), she will have the ability to cruise at a 6-knot turn of speed and can run all day using 25kW.

In addition, the solar array, on a sunny day, is capable of an additional 30kW of power aboard. With the Whisper Systems DC diesel generator going directly to the batteries at the rate of 25kW per hour, the operating time can extend to a week of efficient running. While it’s not a speed demon, the yacht is the first step in Nova Luxe’s ambitious plans for the future.

The future is electric power for boats

With these examples and the many others who have already made inroads in this direction, innovators hope to go with all-electric boat designs in the future. Accomplishing this will take efforts to bring about improvements and advancements to put forward commercially viable options that are both efficient and practical for certain boaters.

While I seriously doubt we will see 40+ knot sportfish boats running offshore, the possibilities still exist for some real changes that will positively affect our industry—and the environment.

By Ken Kreisler, Southern Boating January 2019

Are Marine Batteries the Future?

What does the future hold for marine batteries?

A recent analysis by Future Market Insights forecasts that the global electric boat market is projected to grow by 11 percent. And that its value will more than double by the end of 2028. It’s estimated that pure electric boats to hold 85 percent of the market. That says a lot about the future of marine batteries.

Batteries have come a long way since Prussian inventor Moritz Hermann von Jacobi developed a useable rotating electric motor in 1834 and installed an improved version of it on a 28-foot paddle boat in 1838. The batteries used in the boat had 320 pairs of zinc plates, weighed more than 396 pounds and powered the 14-passenger boat about 1.5 miles per hour. Today, a typical marine starting battery weighs around 37 pounds.

Battery technology has advanced so much so that Panasonic Corporation has developed a pin-shaped lithium-ion battery with a .13-inch diameter and a weight of 0.02 ounces, and Sandia National Laboratories created one that is finer than a human hair. Florida International University recently secured a patent for magnetic battery technology that can recharge in a fraction of a second. Battery technology is moving forward fast.

The Norway Way

The environmentally-friendly push to go green has been a driving force in the development of hybrid, 100-percent electric and solar propulsion systems. These systems reduce emissions, optimize fuel consumption, lower noise, and vibration levels. They are lighter, take up less space, and reduce maintenance costs. The Norwegian Parliament is taking a tough stand on emissions by implementing a zero-emission zone within its fjords by 2026 when all cruise ships and ferries must be electric.

Siemens built Norway’s first all-electric ferry that has two electric motors with an output of 450 kWh through lithium-ion batteries. The 262-foot ferry is built from light aluminum. This reduced its weight by half and doubled the hull’s lifetime compared to conventional steel hulls. Steel hulls are necessary when the batteries weigh 10 tons. An all-electric catamaran built of carbon fiber was recently delivered to a Norwegian company. The catamaran has a 1,800-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and two 450-kW electric motors that can drive the 138-foot, 400-passenger ferry 16 knots for 30 nautical miles. A custom dock is in production with a 2.4 MWh battery pack that will recharge the boat in 20 minutes. Battery technology is becoming more versatile.

The Future is Electric

“Lithium-ion is the future,” says Jamie Campbell of West Marine. They store more energy, maintain a higher current. Plus, they don’t lose their charging capacity compared to other batteries, and they provide more cycles than lead-based batteries. However, they’re very expensive. Most boaters have heard of the brand Torqeedo or Elco and their electric outboard and inboard motors. Elco outboards require four 12-volt lead-acid AGM batteries to run the 48-volt system or only one lithium battery.

Torqeedo won West Marine’s “Most Environmentally Friendly Product” award in 2011 with a 3-hp equivalent electric motor and now offers 32 electric boat drives ranging from 1 to 80 horsepower along with lithium batteries engineered to match each system. If you’re making a move to all electric, Torqeedo has developed a lithium-nickel-cobalt-manganese battery for their 20-hp outboard that weighs up to 70 percent less than an AGM battery, has a waterproof housing with IP67 plug connection and communicates with the drive’s onboard computer; however, it can be used with other electric drives as long as power requirements are within the battery’s specifications (not as a starter battery). For boats with a direct drive inboard system, Torqeedo has developed BMW’s i3 (and now i8) automotive lithium-ion battery system for use in their fully-integrated, 80-hp Deep Blue inboard drive system.

Mastervolt recently designed the MLI-E Series, the first being the MLI-E 12/1200 battery. Using a lithium-ion phosphate chemistry, the 12-volt battery, “is the most stable available and is not prone to self-ignition,” says Rufus van Gruisen, president of Cay Electronics. With 1,200 watt-hours of energy, the battery is designed to replace most existing lead-acid batteries to power small electric motors for propulsion.

What’s Ahead

“Looking further ahead, the marine industry will benefit from research into developing solid-state batteries, currently underway by some automotive manufacturers including BMW and Toyota,” says van Gruisen. “Solid state batteries will use both solid electrodes and solid electrolytes and have a greater energy density than achieved with lithium polymer technology; however, lithium batteries will continue to be the cutting edge for now.”

By Steve Davis, Southern Boating September 2018

Photos: Wikimedia Julius Dub/ Mastervolt

myCharge Adventure Jumpstart Battery Pack

Whether it’s the boat motor battery or your cell phone, the myCharge Adventure Jumpstart Battery Pack will keep them running. The 6600mAh battery provides up to four times the battery life of a smartphone and also can jump start your boat (or car) battery with a start current of 200 amps and a peak current of 400 amps. The compact, portable myCharge Battery Pack is rechargeable and includes a built-in LED flashlight with SOS function, a USB-A port and a micro-USB charging cable.

MSRP $99.99

mycharge.com

WeeGo Batteries

The WeeGo 66 is the most powerful jump-starter in the award-winning N-Series of versatile, multi-purpose batteries that are also capable of jump-starting boats, cars and more in nearly every engine size. Designed for big gas engines of up to 10L (diesel up to 5L), the Weego 66 can also power phones, tablets and other portable devices, including 12V and 19V electronics.

The 66 incorporates a 600-lumen dual LED flashlight and is IP65 rated for use in the harshest of environments.

MSRP $199.99; myweego.com

Electric and Hybrid Marine World Expo 2017

Electric boat technology strives to keep up with the auto industry.

Chevy’s Bolt EV just won Car of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show, and luxury auto maker Tesla reports sales figures for the Q4 of 2016 up an impressive 27 percent. What’s taking so long for the technology to trickle down to the electric boat category? “We are not converting the message as a group,” Phil Purcell, CEO and Executive Director of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida stated rather bluntly as the opening keynote speaker at this year’s Electric and Hybrid Marine World Expo in Tampa. “I drive a Tesla, own a Duffy Electric Boat, have a Torqeedo motor for my dinghy… Electric is not a fad, but the battery makers are all in competition for a small slice of pie, and they need to be working together.”

Torqeedo, in collaboration with BMW, is making the very latest automotive battery engineering available for boats. Adapted to work with Torqeedo’s 40- or 80-hp Deep Blue systems, the BMWi3 technology is based on prismatic cell design allowing for efficient cooling and even temperature distribution within the battery, all in a compact form and tucked neatly into an extremely rugged structure with external power and data connectors.

Prismatic cells require precision assembly in a robust frame to achieve a long service life. Early adopters of electric technology have discovered that charging and discharging over time leads to cell expansion and collapsing, hastening the aging process. Boat applications place high demands on shock resistance and the BMW/Torqeedo design addresses those concerns.

The battery is waterproof to IP67 standards and has laser-welded cell connections over a larger surface, suggesting a stronger and more powerful design than conventional spot-welded cell connections. Should a particular cell fail, interchangeable access points and modules allow for upgrades.

BMW’s battery management system detects a replacement module and adjusts for that cell accordingly, while still providing appropriate recharging levels for older modules.

Torqeedo debuted a 25kW Range Extender for the Deep Blue system that is the first inverter generator capable of supplying electricity for yachts and supporting serial hybrid systems. With a promise of reduced pollutants, less vibration and a longer life for the combustion engine, the system does not require a separate starter. Instead, it uses the electric motor included in the genset.

Sailboaters also seem enamored with Torqeedo’s Cruise Fixed Pod motor as an alternative to an inboard diesel engine. Winner of the 2016 DAME Design Award, this year’s upgrades include new electronic throttles, a dedicated high-resolution marine display and an easy-to-understand user interface. The pod can be charged from shore power, solar, a generator, and even hydro-generation while underway. torqeedo.com

On the commercial side, BAE Systems introduced HybriDrive marine solutions that work in concert with leading marine diesel engines to provide efficient propulsion and auxiliary power systems. HybriGen Power & Propulsion eliminates conventional main engines and is targeted for passenger ferries, research vessels and expedition yachts. Hybrid Assist uses various components to drive a vessel electrically at low speeds and assist the main engine when high-end boost is required. Aimed at the tug market, BAE says there is a fuel cost savings and main engine hours savings of up to 50 percent. Their third product, HybriGen Zero, eliminates the need for conventional diesel generators with a focus on towboats and fishing fleets. baesystems.com

Several battery makers addressed thermal runaway—think Galaxy Note 7, hoverboards and Boeing Dreamliner battery fires—with proprietary heat dissipation design. AllCell Technologies, a Chicago lithium-ion assembler, offered a breakthrough honeycomb design that prevents the spread of thermal runaway. Scott Novack explained how their patented phase change composite, a mix of wax and graphite, keeps the battery in a constant cooling state and avoids “the domino effect prevalent in thermal runaway.”
allcelltech.com

While big names like Valence, Spear Power Systems and Rolls Royce were on hand touting their progress, there was also room for the garage entrepreneur. Seattle-based PureWatercraft debuted an all-electric engine resembling the outdrive of a stern-powered outdrive. “The difference is we built all the parts, including a more efficient propeller,” notes founder Andy Rebele. The Pure Outboard replaces a 9.9- to 40-hp engine, connects to standard steering cables and weighs under 100 lbs. With two modestly sized battery packs that charge from a standard 120V system, it delivers 35 minutes at wide open throttle or an entire day of typical tournament fishing on a lake. Rebele and his team of inventors are in the manufacturing stage with delivery expected this spring. “Quiet is what people pay for,” quips the former rowing coach. purewatercraft.com

— By Alan Wendt, Southern Boating Magazine March 2017

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