Electric Propulsion

[David Paul]

Hi All,

Is anyone familar with OZecoDrive?

http://www.ozecodrive.com

I can see a few advantages over Electric Wheel but would be interested in hearing other opinions.

DP

[trystero]

I fail to see any advantages over the Solomon products besides weight and perhaps voltage (which could be considered a disadvantage). Not really enough information to make an informed opinion. The Electric Wheel appears to be quite well thought-out, add to that the fact that it is a U.S. made product and I'd have to stay convinced that Solomon has the edge in this technology.

[David Paul]

Thanks for the reply Trystero. I was hoping to get a few more opinions before adding my comments, but here goes.

Weight certainly is an important factor, esp. since the intended application is a trimaran. Although I can certainly see the advantages of higher voltage, the advantages of a 12v system would include being able to run electronics off the same battery bank while motoring and charging without haveing to go through an inverter.

A lot of electro-drive proponents claim that you only need about 1/3 of the horsepower of a typical diesel, as full torque is available at any speed. This may be true when pulling away from the dock, but if you're attempting to motor against the wind in a strong storm, you can't beat raw horsepower. Of course, this arguement would apply be for any electric motor.

And then there's TCO (total cost of ownership). A well maintained diesel should last a long, long time. Batteries need to replaced every so often.

While I really like the idea of a clean, simple power source I think I will probably go with a conventional diesel, unless something dramatic comes to market in the next few years. The new fuel cell technologies do hold quite a bit of promise.

[trystero]

12v off system can be obtained using a converter off the (144vdc) motive battery bank. For me the attraction of electric (and in particular Solomon Electric) is:

Power regeneration under sail

Silent and fume-free running under most conditions and no reciprocating power impulses from big diesel.

An adequate power supply to run a large inverter for an extended period of time

A single quality diesel genset to charge mains batteries with smaller fuel tank requirement and fuel use

Ready for fuel cell (let us pray...)

While electric power would be more expensive to begin with it should amortize favorably over time including the replacement cost of batteries. (At least using my high energy use calculation)

Finally, there is the un-doubtable appeal of this earth-friendly technology.

I know that this is less an argument one system over another (although like I mentioned earlier, there really isn't enough information to know whether the Ozeco drive is as developed as the Solomon and a fair measure) and more an argument for electric in general, a concept and system I am personally sold on. I can't speak to the benefits of horsepower over torque in the situation you describe but can attest to the reliability of electric systems, a consideration to be sure.