Flux Marine Outboard Engines . . .

[tpenfield]

As I was headed out to my boat the other day, I noticed an unusual boat at the dock . . . It had twin outboard engines that looked like they were from a sci-fi movie . . . had an illuminated blue stripe on the rear cowl and the name 'Flux' on them . . . but I could not see the flux capacitor .

Anyway, afterwards I looked up the brand . . . "Flux Marine" . . . apparently they have a 100 HP electric outboard motor . . . 30 minutes run time . Not sure how far that would go . . . maybe 10-15 miles. They were not from my harbor . . . wondering if they made it home.

Anybody got additional info on those OB's ?

 

[flashback]

definitely need a boatload of batteries.

 

[Scott Danforth]

30 minutes run time gets me from my launching point to half-way to the ICW

 

[kd4pbs]

Bold claims. 30 minutes at what power level and how many Ah battery at what voltage? I guarantee an equivalent weight in gasoline or diesel will get you much farther and much longer and be easily refilled at somewhere around a bazillion percent more places. That being written, I imagine some people do like coal powered boat motors like those you described seeing.

 

[matt167]

For boats a hybrid technology would be cool. Smallish liquid cooled engine to run a generator to keep a battery pack charged, and then either an I/O type setup with a drive motor or an outboard on a pod.

 

[tpenfield]

In similar discussions from the past few years, I had roughly figured that battery power storage technology needed to increase by about 5X to be on par with fossil fuel on a power/pound sort of basis.

So, if the 30 minute run time could go to 150 minutes, then it may have some possibilities.

As for being able to charge batteries from a generator, there is the energy conversion thing to think about. Roughly calculating . . .

1 hp = 746 Watts
100 hp x 0.5 hour = 37,300 watt-hours

So, a 4,000 watt generator may take 8-10 hours to get 1/2 an hour of outboard run time. . . . probably using 5-6 gallons of fuel.

More simply . . . you'd probably need a 50,000 watt generator running constantly while running the electric outboard at 70% power. It would be better to run a gas outboard.

 

[Scott Danforth]

. It would be better to run a gas outboard.

Yep..... until a Mr Fusion waste converter becomes viable. when we run our stuff on banana peels and stale miller beer.

 

[tphoyt]

I think I saw a vid on this flux brand not long ago but it was for 15hp equivalent. Even that only had a 45 minute run time. Good for a tender but not much else.

 

[kd4pbs]

Hybrids on automobiles only work marginally due to regenerative braking. Proponents never recognize the severely limiting factor that pushes a hybrid automobile down the cliff into the valley of stupidity ideas…. That battery pack will need replacement far before the engine on a conventional auto. Well, as long as it isn’t a hoonday or a killed in action or a chebby 6.2…

 

[matt167]

Hybrids on automobiles only work marginally due to regenerative braking. Proponents never recognize the severely limiting factor that pushes a hybrid automobile down the cliff into the valley of stupidity ideas…. That battery pack will need replacement far before the engine on a conventional auto. Well, as long as it isn’t a hoonday or a killed in action or a chebby 6.2…

Battery pack on something like a Prius can go a very long time and for the most part easily serviced. Hybrid makes a lot of sense in stop and go traffic.. it could make a lot of sense in a low/no wake situation.

Imagine being able to troll and turn down the speed to almost nothing, even docking without the engine running

 

[racerone]

EV fires are scary enuff.-----No way would I want current Lithium battery in a boat.----No place to go when an event happens.

 

[kd4pbs]

Battery pack on something like a Prius can go a very long time and for the most part easily serviced. Hybrid makes a lot of sense in stop and go traffic.. it could make a lot of sense in a low/no wake situation.

Imagine being able to troll and turn down the speed to almost nothing, even docking without the engine running

I would not call average life expectancy of 8-10 years, 100,000 - 200,000 miles at a cost of $2,000 to $8,000 a very long time nor easily replaced. I love my 300,000 mile 6,000 lb with 7500lb towing capacity roomy, quick diesel SUV that gets 26MPG and has cost me probably $2000 in repairs ever since I have had it.
You don’t get the regenerative braking advantage on the water, so all advantages go North and the efficiency losses as stated make it less efficient no matter the speed.

 

[Scott Danforth]

3 local companies are doing EV boats. 2 burned when the batteries caught fire from getting wet, another has been towed in more than I have ever been in the last 15 years

 

[tpenfield]

Reminds me of when the Evinrude E-tec engines were fire hazards . . .

I guess now it will be the e-boats burning up.

 

[Mc Tool]

My work put me in a Prius . I could not , and still cant see the point in having an electric car when every scrap of energy was produced by a petrol motor . And it sure was NOT any more economical. I think any EV (inc boats ) are largely pointless unless you get off on the novelty or appearing to be conservation minded.
When I can get an EV than can get a 700km full up in less than 5mins that weighs no more than 50-60kg and takes up 70 litres of space I might be interested .... probly not . I think electric vehicle power will fizz out and we will get hydrogen or something . Maybe if you never left town , and , dunno bout you guys but EV peeps round here seem to think they are a better class of citizen . One of our neiboughs has a Tesla and me and Di were taking the pi55 standing next to it with sausages on sticks and when the plonker came out demanding to know what we were doing we said we were waiting for it to catch fire so we could cook tea
I saw a pic a while ago .... outback Australia EV charging station big diesel generator right next to it

 

[Pmt133]

We're averaging about 5 lithium fires a week. I say let em out. Keeps us busy and forces the county to underfund us slightly less.

 

[cyclops222]

BUUTT
BUUTT

 

[kd4pbs]

In the US, most EVs are coal powered. Not much solar happening at night when the majority of them are being recharged. We had to install locks on the outside outlets at work due to a couple of EV driver employees using our electricity to recharge their vehicles without even asking if that was allowed. Crazy stuff.