Are you ready to trust your battery to take you up in the Air?

Johann

.
Jun 3, 2004
420
Leopard 39 Pensacola
Now if Honda or Toyota got into the US compliant diesel game I would beat down the door. :wink:
How about Mazda? They are bringing diesels to the US, but I’m more excited about their spark controlled compression ignition gasoline engine. Should be here with the 2019 Mazda 3. No MPG figures yet...
 
Oct 26, 2010
1,883
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
My wife's summer car is a 100% original (even original paint & glass) Bristol condition 1979 240D with about 250k on her. That car was built when a Mercedes was a true Mercedes and she's incredibly reliable. :biggrin:




:wink:
Pretty car - wish I still had my 1980 300TD Turbo (wagon). Still one of my favorite cars. But you're right about mpg - I never got the mpg on the 300TD that I did on the rattle trap Rabbit or on the current 09 MB. Don't ever wreck that beauty. They are worth more in parts than the are as a whole car to the salvage yards. That is why mine was totaled.

My discussion with Prius owners here (I know a few and the few that actually routinely meassure mpg independently from the guage) is that they only get that kind of mpg when the majority of their time is on battery power. When at 60 to 75 mph they are soon if not totally on the engine and not getting that good a mpg. I could make that trip with the 09 Mercedes on 2 fillups along the way (maybe 3 if I go through the mountains) and only need to stop to relieve myself and pick up a bite to eat. That is what I meant about "application" (and why its not apples and oranges Will - it is Application specific). Maine - did you really get 42-52 mpg at 60 mph on a 2000 mile trip or even a 300 mile trip? Differs from what I've heard from Prius owners here but maybe I've been mis-informed. Its the "time at speed for distance" without having to stop and charge, etc. that I was betting on - maybe I'm wrong. Anyway - good discussion.

The thing that closes the gap right now in fuel costs is the extraordinary price of diesel above gas? It used to be cheaper - maybe you know why

Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all knocking the Prius - its a matter of application. If I did a lot of short distance driving at typical town or city speeds I'd be all over a Prius. I use a golf cart to tool around our community (old man motorcycle :wink:).
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
and why its not apples and oranges Will - it is Application specific
Of course. Even actual apples and oranges can be legitimately compared by certain measures. I was making a joke about corn-based fuel and that most offensive of sweeteners.
Since your on the subject of diesel pricing, I remember it was significantly cheaper at one time. The explanation was that it took less refining than gasoline. I never heard a good explanation for its rise in price, but I did hear a report on NPR, years ago, that most of the heavy trucking in Europe was done with gasoline engines. The point they were making was that diesel power was moving into Europe. Maybe their reduced demand for diesel in the past has lead to higher worldwide pricing and now, with their increase in demand in the face of higher pricing, is part of the reason for the further increase in price?
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has this to say about it: "
  • Demand for diesel fuel and other distillate fuel oils has been relatively high, especially in Europe, China, India, and the United States.
  • The transition to less polluting, lower-sulfur diesel fuels in the United States affected diesel fuel production and distribution costs.
  • The federal excise tax for on-highway diesel fuel of 24.3 cents per gallon is 6 cents per gallon higher than the federal excise tax on gasoline.
"

-Will (Dragonfly)
 

Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Just out of curiosity what does the total "package" batteries and Torqueedo weigh? How much of that is engine and how much is battery?
The Torqeedo outboard weighs about 30 lbs., about half of that is the battery. What I like about the design is that the battery pops off the top of the outboard, and the rest stays attached to the transom. The tiller, which contains the CPU and viewing screen, also pops off, so mounting the outboard on the dinghy is a matter of installing each component, one at a time. A new battery is about $600 dollars, but I don't find the need for a spare. The computer constantly updates the remaining range of the battery at your current power setting, so you should know well in advance when you need to recharge.
 
Oct 26, 2010
1,883
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
Thanks Tom, That is interesting. Starting a new thread on Torqeedo questions to avoid further topic creep.
 
  • Like
Likes: Tom J

Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
The responses to this post may be the best example of "topic creep" we've seen in awhile.
To get back to the OP's question, yes, I would trust the battery in this aircraft to do it's job. The pilot, of course, must do his job, too, and monitor that BIG green gauge in the middle of the dash, and plan his flight time accordingly. It's no different than the fuel gauge on a conventional airplane.
The airplane in the video appears to be a sportplane, and if it is, it is limited in range by definition, and not suitable for cross country flying, so electric power could be a very good source of propulsion in this case.
 
Feb 21, 2019
46
Catalina 22 Madison In.
I charge the Torqeedo off the house batteries, which are charged by solar panels. The Torqeedo charges either by a 110v AC chord or a 12v chord. 100% solar charged. It does take a while, but that is not an issue. As I said, I can go days on a charge, then plug the battery in when it is convenient. I rarely run the battery down past 50%, but being lithium Ion, that isn't an issue either. No more gasoline stored in the cockpit, no more mixing oil and gas, no more oil in the water from the 2 cycle engine, no more noise. The Torqeedo is very efficient, I think. It has the same amount of power that my 3hp Mercury had.
If you get a chance, try a Torqeedo. You'll like it!
Can you share any particular range you think is reasonable and at what speed and boat type being pushed by the torquedo ?? Thanks, Doug...
 
  • Like
Likes: Tom J

Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Can you share any particular range you think is reasonable and at what speed and boat type being pushed by the torquedo ?? Thanks, Doug...
The range depends on how you use the throttle. I don't remember how many miles I would typically see on the CPU screen, but it is impressive. I usually cruise between 2.5 and 3 knots, but I can push it to the point the dinghy is just plowing. My dinghy is a Walker Bay 8, but this outboard can be used on a sailboat up to 1.5 tons. There is a thread in Ask All Sailors specifically about the Torqeedo.
 

Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Airplanes don't fall out of the sky when they loose power. They glide to a landing.

These kind of comments scare those who have no aviation background.

Ken
:plus: Capt. Sully pretty much proved this!
 
Oct 26, 2010
1,883
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
Yeah; but remember Steve survived that landing! There have been many examples of airliners gliding in to a landing. I've done hundreds of power off practise forced landings myself.
I've done a few too, but there was "always" an suitable landing strip or airport nearby when the engine "magically" went power off for practice. While airplanes don't "fall out of the sky" when they run out of fuel, neither do they sit there and float like a dingy where you can break out a beer and wait for a passing boat to come by or break out the oars and get some exercise while you row back to your boat or back to the shore. The example was that the consequences of running out of fuel for an airplane are potentially "catastrophic". Other than flying into bad weather, running out of fuel is one of the most common results for accident investigations in private plane crashes. By the way, what Sully did was truely extraordinary and I wouldn't bet that it could be done zs successfully in more than 1 in 50 similiar situations (probably more like 1 in 100).
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Can they use reclamation breaking? You're at 10,000 feet, your battery dies, you start to glide down to the ground. Now your prop is turning from the wind and by the time you get down to 200 feet, you have a small charge back in your battery. Maybe enough to circle back for a good runway approach?

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Jan 5, 2017
2,263
Beneteau First 38 Lyall Harbour Saturna Island
You're at 10,000 feet, your battery dies, you start to glide down to the ground. Now your prop is turning from the wind and by the time you get down to 200 feet, you have a small charge back in your battery.
Harbour Air is starting this on Beaver float planes. The run from Vancouver to Nanaimo will likely be the first. They seldom get above 1500ft. and it's all over water so the "runway" is always right in front of you. Flight is about 1/2 hour, battery about 1 hour.
 
  • Like
Likes: jssailem
Jan 5, 2017
2,263
Beneteau First 38 Lyall Harbour Saturna Island
Harbour Air is starting this on Beaver float planes.
I was just wondering how big the battery is. A Beaver has a gross weight of 5100lb. My boat is over 3 times that so the battery should fit. Any battery that can deliver 750 hp. for 1hour should make a good house battery for the boat!