Spring is here in the Northeast; boaters are preparing for the season. For those with ICE motors, good luck with the de-winterization process. For those with electric propulsion, well you already know there isn’t much to do.
We left our electric test boat in the water for the winter. Using the Victron system and Wifi, we could see the state of charge of the boat. A 1,200 watt bilge heater was set to turn on if the temperature was below 39 degrees (F). Ideally, the 2.7kw’s of solar would have provided the all the power necessary for the heater but it was not. So, we had to plug the boat in over the Winter. A combination of the sun low in the sky, Winter cloud cover, and an inefficient heater all tipped the scale to using more power then is generated. In any case, unlike in the Spring, Summer, and Fall, the boat was plugged in for the Winter.
Looking around the world Australia, seems to be the farthest along in developing a decentralized and functional electric grid system. They allow for automated home systems to buy and sell power with real-time load and pricing information. Midday, energy is cheap as solar floods the market. At peak times in the morning and evening, energy is very expensive. Individuals with solar and batteries can choose to sell power back to the grid during the expensive periods from their batteries, then they charge those batteries with solar or purchase it from the grid during off peak hours. This arbitrage can be profitable and at the very least, offsets the cost of expensive battery systems. How is this relevant? An electric solar boat should be configured in a way that allows participation in this market place and for the most part they are. The next step, at least in America, is to lobby to allow for this marketplace in each state.
Let’s put some realistic numbers behind this scenario. In NY, the average cost per kwh is 20 cents. Let’s pretend that in the middle of the night the cost per kwh is 5 cents and during peak 5-7 pm its 50 cents. Now let’s say, each day I sell 5kwh of power during peak time earning $2.50 cents. I know I can generate this much power on a normal day but just in case, I buy 2kwh each night for 10 cents and the next day solar gets the balance. With these parameters set, I could net up to $875 per year. Its not a huge number but it makes use of otherwise unused energy. This is the future, and our electric boats will be ready for it.
Speaking of the future, self-driving boat technology is a bit farther in the future then it needs to be. All the technology exists but a consumer level product is not really available. I was hoping the Avikus system was the answer, but its not ready yet. The first feature available with Avikus will be hands free docking and it’s expected to be available in October. For it to work, six cameras need to be installed in the hull and the price for that is very high. Well over a decent camera system that can provide a bird’s eye view of the boat. Later on, they will release full self-driving. If its anything like the FSD for Tesla, we could be waiting 10 years.
Commercially, Roboat.org is successfully operating autonomous electric boats in Amsterdam. We met with the founder and the company is taking a smart approach to the problem. The ferries and trash removal service they operate have a fixed route. On the route the boat can make corrections relative to other boats in the water. It’s a viable niche that allows for smaller vessels to operate 24 hours a day transporting whomever gets on; TO & FRO. In a practical sense, an island community could share this resource for transportation of community members.
To move the needle on self driving vessels, we may throw our hat in the ring. Given its April fools day, we will wait and announce our plan in a coming newsletter.
On the re-fit side, this has been our busiest quarter since inception in 2017. We are booked at almost full capacity until June of this year. To ensure we can meet future demand, we have an opening for an electrical apprentice position. The individual must be located in the NY/NJ area and have a good understanding of electricity, batteries and motors. ABYC certification is a plus. Reach out if this line of work interest you.
Marc Hawxhurst
President, Nova Luxe Yachts
