![]() ![]() We have the freedom to be powered by our solar panels during the day. And not be a contributor to the rising sea levels. We will bring a sense of respecting the fragility of the eco systems to these remote locations. Visiting remote locations is a large part of the sailing experience, and without the fuel concern this is made much easier. We intend to have a small generator as a back up, but so far, on the Brisbane river we are generating more power than we can use and our battery bank is fully charged each day. We just need a few good sunny days and we have recharged our batteries. ![]() ![]() Our electric sailboat will allow us to visit remote locations, we don't need to worry whether there is diesel to fuel up. This allows us to spend our money on items that are necessary or important to us. We have the freedom to head into a port and visit because we want to go there, not because we need to refuel. Remote islands are going solar because diesel is too expensive to import. We are not constrained by fossil fuel needs, and spending our money on diesel with our budget was a very real limiting factor. The EV (electric vessel) allows you to go anywhere with the potential of unlimited range and to motor quietly. Just pull the anchor up (we do not have an anchor winch) and go. No oil check, no concern about dirty fuel, no air lock in the fuel line and no dirty fuel filters. The only water we check is the depth sounder. We just turn the key and the motor starts. We are living on the power generation that would otherwise be discarded.įirstly there are no prestart checks before using the motor to leave the mooring. The energy storage (batteries) are used to power the house and motor. The batteries are recharged as you sail through our solar panels. Our fuel costs are nonexistent and there is no such thing as dirty fuel for us. We often hear that the weakest part of a sail boat is the engine. Compare this to a diesel engine which has hundreds of moving parts. The maintenance cost is greatly reduced as the electric engine and reducer have two moving parts. We test drove a Tesla in May of this year, 2018. There is no doubt that it has been challenging at times. This is because we live on a small income and there was a need to balance the cost of renovating Clipper with our lifestyle. The process of converting Clipper to electric drive has been slow. Fiona and myself like to lean to the future, not be dinosaurs waiting for extinction because we did not have the courage and ability to adapt. Technology has shifted and it is our belief that technology has shifted enough that the change to electric will be swift and if we are not acting with the change we will be left behind. Though recently we are finding that attitudes toward electric vehicles and vessels are changing rapidly. Nearly three years ago when we talked to others about the EV movement, we were thought of as "one of them", and to some extent this is still true. Converting a small sailboat to an electric vessel - photo © ĭriving the Tesla reinforced our belief that the electric disruption is here and available now. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |