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Tesla style ski boat?? Think it could happen?


sunvalleylaw

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Because of my teen kids and their school, and also out of general interest, I have been watching and following information about lowering carbon consumption and emissions to save the oceans and the world.  I love my ski boat, and I bet given the hours it gets each summer, it is not a huge overall contributor to the problem.  Nonetheless, it would be cool if Tesla or similar could install their motor into a tourney or wake boat.  (I want a slalom boat of course ;) ).  Think it would be possible?  If so, it could be pretty cool.  Tesla builds very fast, very powerful cars with plenty of torque.  The electric motors could be configured to add interior room.  could be some advantages.  Not sure about water and electricity though.  thoughts??  It might fit Tesla's model of offering a high end product to subsidize development of more accessible products down the line, as they do with cars.  

 

It has been discussed:  https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forums/startup-electric-boat-company-tesla-motors-drivetrain-technology

Edited by sunvalleylaw
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I absolutely love this idea.  When tesla recently announced their plans with semi-trucks,  trucks, and buses,  I was really hoping a boat was coming...

Can it be done?  Absolutely.  Will it be done? Not for a while. 

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@twitchee2 , just found that and was going to post it.  Apparently, according to youtube comments, the project is failed??  Hopefully not for long.  This is just what I was thinking about, and I bet they can get the dimensions of the batteries and propulsion plant better than what is shown.  

Frankly, I plan to keep driving my VW Passat TDI Wagon (2005, not recalled) until a Tesla or similar, such as the new $35k model, becomes tested and road proven, and the infrastructure comes sufficiently to Idaho.  probably 5-7 years I bet.  

Would love to buy an electric boat a couple years after that.  

Just now, Zac said:

I absolutely love this idea.  When tesla recently announced their plans with semi-trucks,  trucks, and buses,  I was really hoping a boat was coming...

Can it be done?  Absolutely.  Will it be done? Not for a while. 

The trucks and buses will be great,  In addition, what I think they need is a mini-van.  As unsexy as that is, the road miles put on, mostly by moms, to soccer, groceries, school, etc. need to be replaced with non carbon alternatives.  Pubic transportation, which works for the urban worker, does not help the mom with 18 errands to do taking care of 3 kids.  

And a boat would be killer as well.  At some point, it will happen.

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Yeah, that was built over 5 yrs ago.  The electric power plants are vastly improved sense then. It is likely a matter of time, but it will only make sense in a very specific application.  Still has the same problems as electrical cars, Battery life and range. The technology is getting better and better but is not quite there yet, especially for a tow boat.

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The technology is already here.  The problem is cost (which has and will continue to go down) and demand for an electric boat.  People need to see this work with cars first. 

There will be a tipping point and in most of our lifetimes combustible engines will be a thing of the past on the road, in the air, and the water. 

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Tesla just took a sheet-ton of orders for the 35k model car, and their more expensive models are pretty much the highest rated cars Consumer Reports ever rated I just read tonight in my wife's new CR.  I think we are nearing the point where the cars are proven, at least where the infrastructure for "filling" stations exist.  The range is pretty darned good in a car, and Musk is looking at sport utes next.  There is plenty of torque.  I bet it can be done. Seems like ski lakes would be an ideal place, and that folks with expensive boats with lifts would be set up to re-charge too.   I hope it will be done in the not too distant future. 

 

EDIT: I think there will be the need for an emergency battery for any remote use, either on land in the back country, or out on open water.  Perhaps such a battery exists.  I am sure it could.  

Edited by sunvalleylaw
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what about a CNG or other "legacy" fuel reserve? maybe to run a small generator, like a fuel cell?

I've wanted to make an alternate propulsion boat for a while, just find a hull with a blown engine or try to convince Malibu (or another manufacturer) to "donate" a hull for a project. I'm not sure I have time to take on a project like that, but it would be fun. Personally I'd like to see if there could be something done to use solar panels as a bimini to charge batteries that would power electrolysis to get hydrogen from the water to run a small generator engine to charge drive batteries for an electric driven boat. The hydrogen could be supplemented with a bigger tank to allow for longer runtimes. I don't think the potential energy from water pencils out though...

Edited by mikeo
don't type when exhausted, you forget words that need to be included in sentences
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2 hours ago, sunvalleylaw said:

Because of my teen kids and their school, and also out of general interest, I have been watching and following information about lowering carbon consumption and emissions to save the oceans and the world.  I love my ski boat, and I bet given the hours it gets each summer, it is not a huge overall contributor to the problem.  Nonetheless, it would be cool if Tesla or similar could install their motor into a tourney or wake boat.  (I want a slalom boat of course ;) ).  Think it would be possible?  If so, it could be pretty cool.  Tesla builds very fast, very powerful cars with plenty of torque.  The electric motors could be configured to add interior room.  could be some advantages.  Not sure about water and electricity though.  thoughts??  It might fit Tesla's model of offering a high end product to subsidize development of more accessible products down the line, as they do with cars.  

 

It has been discussed:  https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forums/startup-electric-boat-company-tesla-motors-drivetrain-technology

Jesus dude he didn't build it your money did , have you seen the mines for the lithium for the batteries, they strip mine huge holes in the ground , which I could care less about but that sxxx they are feeding the kids needs to be squelched . It's all lies, my father was a published meteorologist who spent 9 months at South Pole station studying weather patterns vs ice cores.( only long term record of earth weather patterns perfectly preserved in ice cores)  It's all sunspot cycles and the physics of earths atmosphere. In the 60's we referred to carbon dioxide as a GREENHOUSE gas that made it possible fur humans to exist in earth . Ever scene lib George Carlin routine on earth shaking off mankind like a bad case of the fleas and who knows maybe earth made man so it could have plastic!

this is all crony capitalism bulls*** and Tesla is at the top of the list. Solyndra failure, the wind farms that kill birds and dont provide electricity when the wind doesn't blow who got special permits to kill the excessive birds from the EPA

these boats represent good old fashion burn lots of cheap gas American tradition that I have been dutifully burning premium for 30 years, I had a old style leaded gas fuel opening on my old checkmate and had the privilege of burning some of that .  How about that Amoco 93 leaded white gas(maybe that was the 1st unleaded premium, but I think there was a lead version)loved that stuff as lead is octane, but the earth loving people we are we stopped burning lead long before the green movement. So now it's carbon dioxide cause no lead toxins. No alternative energy source economically out produces a gallon of gas other than a gallon of diesel even at European prices 

Edited by granddaddy55
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ahopkins22LSV

The Nautique electric ski boat failed because the charge lasted for about 30 minutes and took about 25x as long to charge iirc. It is an interesting concept though, instant power and tons of torque. Skiers commented on the Nautique that it was weird to ski behind because it was silent. 

I'd be concerned with keeping the weight down in a ski boat. 

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It'll be a long, long time before electric power will be an option for a wake boat.  The cars are designed to minimize drag and other external inefficiencies.  Pretty much the exact opposite of our boats.  The charge will just plain not last.  Add that to the fact that many folks tow their boats, and are on them for hours on end, and it just isn't really a good fit.  I'd much ratehr see a diesel.

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I have a friend in the ultra capacitor business. They are doing some pretty amazing stuff with them. I think that the technology could be applied to boats, just don't think there is a big market for it at this time because it would be too expensive.

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It's hard to compare the boat world to the car world. The boat world is soooooo much more costly than cars. The manufacture of boats is much less engineered than cars. Autos are light years ahead in engineering and efficiency.   It's pretty amazing really, what you can get for your money when comparing the two. 

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I am glad that granddaddy55 brought it up first, but, "lowering carbon consumption and emissions to save the oceans and the world", please!  I would go to the school and talk to the teachers about stopping the propaganda.

The use of massive battery power always interests me.  Nobody ever talks about the "carbon based energy" it takes to build the batteries and then the "carbon based energy" it takes to recycle the used batteries and all of their chemicals.  I saw one article discussing this a long time ago.  I wish I could find that article again.  I just don't believe that in the BIG picture, the Total energy usage for the large battery products saves energy.  How much energy do you think it takes to recycle hundreds of pounds of a Telsa battery?

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And once thing that has always bugged me about Telsa....and that is the fact that the government basically forces other auto manufacturers to buy ZEV credit from Tesla, which artificially inflates their revenue (and certainly adds to the cost of every vehicle those other manufacturers sell)...to the tune of some $200 million in 2014.  About 10% of their net revenue that year.  Take that income from the ZEV program and Telsa's income statement looks even worse than it does currently.

So basically, if you buy a car from GM or Ford or Toyota, part the amount you paid goes to keeping the doors open at Tesla.  

I don't think the gov't will give the same deal to a boat manufacturer who would build a few hundred electric boats a year.  

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Just now, 1HELLUVALIFE said:

Still burning fossil fuels to charge your "green" cars and boats. 

 

Not once Elon's evil plan is fully implemented and we are using free solar energy stored in our powerwalls! :lol:

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15 minutes ago, 85 Barefoot said:

 

What is a lie?  That we humans are emitting more CO2 than any time in history, that C02 is a greenhouse gas, and the earth is the hottest its ever been?  Cuz, that's actually all true.

What is the privilege of burning lead?  I'm sure you're aware of the impact that leaded gas had on both kids and adults?  It caused massive health costs, deaths, maldevelopment, and brain effects.  Literally tens of thousands of deaths a year.

I don't drive a Prius, I drive a truck, my wife has an SUV, and I burn plenty of gas in my boat.  But I am all for further development of better sustainable energy with less environmental impact.  

Funny that Tesla would be the top of the list of "crony capitalism bull###", I'd suggest you watch the movie "Who killed the electric car".  

SVL, I'm with you.  Would love to see further development.  No emissions for surfers, inherent ballast, quieter, etc.  I don't cling to the gas pump as if its Heston's rifle at an NRA meeting.  In fact, I'd be happy to leave it in the proverbial leaded dust.

You have zero data on a earth history scale to back up what your saying.  The earth has gone through more cooling and heating than you've had birthdays and it's not sustainable and oil virtually is and we continue over and over and over to discover or declare the greatest reserves ever found and

if you read you'll see that I said we concerned humans quit that practice of leaded gas long before the green movement on our own without the libs telling us how to live, this entire movement is about your freedom and someone legislating a way to remove your freedom to choose 

We have a historic election concerning your freedoms, choose wisely, if you can see through the lies 

Edited by granddaddy55
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9 minutes ago, 85 Barefoot said:

 

 and the earth is the hottest its ever been?

 

Absolutely not proven.  Sorry, they are manipulating the data.  Unfortunately, the government has be closing land based temperature monitoring stations in the cooler areas and keeping the monitoring stations in the hotter areas (around cities).  It's a terrible thing, but even the scientists are being swayed by the political agenda.  The government data at this point just sucks (NOAA and NASA).  You just don't know who or what to believe.  But it is a BIG stretch to think human activity is affect the global temperature, either higher or lower.  You just can't draw that conclusion from the data that we have and the time scale that the data has been collected.

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Whether or not climate change is caused by human consumption of carbon fuel resources (not going to get into that argument on a boat forum where I just want to talk boats), I think it is cool if there was an alternative power source for them.  I think the quieter motor and other characteristics (the motors seem to have lots of power and torque) would be pretty cool if the batteries and motor gets figured out for boats.  We shall see what happens.  

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