Reimagined Jet Ski Brings EVs To the Beach (ieee.org) 53
Cars aren't the only conveyances being transformed by electricity. Along with electric motorcycles and snowmobiles, personal watercraft are floating better ways to coexist with nature and neighbors. This new breed of machines brings requisite thrills to the Great Outdoors, but without fouling the atmosphere or disturbing the peace with an internal-combustion racket. From a report: The latest comes from Florida-based Pelagion, whose founder and chief executive, engineer Jamie Schlinkmann, was inspired by childhood adventures on a watersports icon: A 1973 Kawasaki Jet Ski. Schlinkmann's machine, just the 213th ever built, is still one of his prized possessions. His company's Pelagion HydroBlade is an ingenious mash-up of classic stand-up Jet Skis and modern surfboard-style "eFoils." Those electric-powered boards had a real breakthrough in 2020 when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was spotted sailing over Hawaiian waters on one model. The metaverse may spring to mind the first time you see an eFoil, with its rider seeming to fly above the waves on a magic carpet. Naturally, there's no magic, only hydrodynamics. Hydrofoils work like an airplane wing, only underwater: An aerodynamic wing creates high and low pressure areas as it slices through water, generating lift with precious little drag. Add an electric motor and propeller to create thrust and you've got a hydrofoil that doesn't require surf waves, a kite, or tow boat to generate power.
There's only one problem: Powered or not, a hydrofoil takes some practice and patience to learn to ride in a standing position, especially for people with no surfing or wakeboarding experience, or so-so balance skills. To solve that, Schlinkmann's invention adds a boom-mounted canard and rudder ahead of the rider to keep the craft airborne and steady without a rider having to constantly expend energy and adjust body position. Add a trusty set of handlebars, says Schlinkmann, and the HydroBlade handles more like a vehicle with which most of us are familiar: a bicycle. Making the experience somewhat like riding a bike, he says, helps ease the intimidation factor and boost appeal for people of all ages and abilities. [...] The design began to take shape around 2020. Schlinkmann pulled the engine and other ICE guts from his old Jet Ski and studied how he could make it electric. He realized a conventional electric Jet Ski might only have a 15- or 20-minute runtime on a single charge, which wasn't good enough. But after riding a few eFoils, the idea came together. For the HydroBlade, a pair of permanent-magnet radial-flux motors drive dual propellers at a peak 16 kilowatts (21 horsepower). They're fed by two battery packs, with a combined 600 cylindrical 2170 NCM cells and a total 11 kilowatt-hours of energy -- about eight to 10 times the capacity onboard a typical eFoil. A separate 1.6-kW charger can refill batteries in about 4 hours.
There's only one problem: Powered or not, a hydrofoil takes some practice and patience to learn to ride in a standing position, especially for people with no surfing or wakeboarding experience, or so-so balance skills. To solve that, Schlinkmann's invention adds a boom-mounted canard and rudder ahead of the rider to keep the craft airborne and steady without a rider having to constantly expend energy and adjust body position. Add a trusty set of handlebars, says Schlinkmann, and the HydroBlade handles more like a vehicle with which most of us are familiar: a bicycle. Making the experience somewhat like riding a bike, he says, helps ease the intimidation factor and boost appeal for people of all ages and abilities. [...] The design began to take shape around 2020. Schlinkmann pulled the engine and other ICE guts from his old Jet Ski and studied how he could make it electric. He realized a conventional electric Jet Ski might only have a 15- or 20-minute runtime on a single charge, which wasn't good enough. But after riding a few eFoils, the idea came together. For the HydroBlade, a pair of permanent-magnet radial-flux motors drive dual propellers at a peak 16 kilowatts (21 horsepower). They're fed by two battery packs, with a combined 600 cylindrical 2170 NCM cells and a total 11 kilowatt-hours of energy -- about eight to 10 times the capacity onboard a typical eFoil. A separate 1.6-kW charger can refill batteries in about 4 hours.
Re: I like gas power jet skis (Score:4, Insightful)
It's not like we don't know how to seal off battery packs, the ones in electric cars also have to be IP rated for use on the roads. If you get seawater in your gas tank you are also kinda screwed in multiple ways (ruin your gas, mess with your seals, hydrolock your engine, etc)
But yeah this thing is experimental for sure, jet ski's are pretty low on the priority list for electric replacement. It's neat but in the way those solar powered cars they build for competitions are.
Re: I like gas power jet skis (Score:2)
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That's why things like jetskis and waverunners are very low on the priority list but eventually in the decades to come energy density will catch up and they will also be electrified because it has all the same benefits of an electric car; simpler drivetrain, way quieter, less maintenance, ton's of low end torque, no emissions, can refill at home. Until then people should enjoy their combustion recreational vehichles.
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EVs are for losers
Wanna drag, my EV against your ICEV? :D
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Waana compete in 24 Hours of Le Mans my ICEV vs your EV?
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Waana compete in 24 Hours of Le Mans my ICEV vs your EV?
No need for 24hrs, a typical track day will do. Even bets on whether his battery or his brakes complain first though.
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Hehe. Guess I can't fault you for picking a different unrealistic driving scenario.
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Hehe. Guess I can't fault you for picking a different unrealistic driving scenario.
Even on a drag strip you be done after a run or two. Don't be pretending you are a man on the street light either, that is irresponsible.
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Now only if we had a way to create sealed compartments that are waterproof.
If... only...
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The trouble with silent Jet Skis and Motorcycles is.....being SILENT.
If you're on the lake and you hear someone on a jet ski coming at you, say when you're in the water, you know when to possibly dive if they don't see YOU, etc.
Same on motorcycle...on best days you are invisible to cars on the road with you, yes, having some pipes that are loud enough to be heard can save your ass. I'm not talking straight pipes...or set ups that are hugely obnoxious...
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Re:I like gas power jet skis (Score:4, Insightful)
Not to many people use Jet Ski's for actual going places. If you are to actually go places on the water people will often choose a boat, which will be more comfortable for the duration, A typical Jet Skier will use it for recreation and some excitement, perhaps for 1-2 hours where then they themselves will need to rest, and relax a bit, Then perhaps go back out for more.
The article says there is about 4 hours of drive time and 4 hours to charge from empty. So you figure a normal day.
8:00-11:00 You ski (25% state of charge)
11:00-1:00 break lunch (if you charge at that time, to (75% state of charge)
1:00-3:00 you ski (back down to 25%)
3:00-4:00 break, snack (you charge up to 50%)
4:00-6:00 you ski (that brings you fully used)
6:00+ you are probably done for the day.
That is 7 hours of Jet Skiing for a day... That is a lot
This isn't a watercraft equivalent of a road motorcycle or even an ATV. But more like a Dirt Bike that you may have some fun driving in circles for a few hours and be done.
Re: I like gas power jet skis (Score:2)
What boat launch have you been to that includes power!?
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What boat launch have you been to where people leave their jet skis at the boat launch?
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Then the question becomes where would you reasonably expect them to charge trailered jet skis?
People are frequently way away from home, and plain parking with trailer is a tricky enough proposition without having to think where to plug in.
No, this would have to be shore power, which *is* commonly available, but generally not a whole lot of empty shore power at marinas. Or just say you won't be *actively* scooting along for more than 4 hours in a day, though that might be a bit too limiting.
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What marina have you been to that doesn't?
Plus, as EVs become more common place, do you think that boat launches and the lots where you park your empty jet ski and boat trailers won't have chargers installed, like, ever?
Bring your eyes up to the horizon a little more - you're staring at your feet.
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At the boat launch? Not many. Slips with outlets? Sure, but generally not that many of them and not generally expected to be a significant part of a PWC's experience. Also not sure whether a typical marina is expecting pretty much every bit of the amperage being pulled by all the slips at the same time.
Now to say that things *might* change, that's possible. However aircraft and watercraft are a bit more daunting for electrification in general. Boats are generally decades behind automotive tech even just
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Sounds like the aquatic vehicle industry is due for a mighty kick in the competitive ass. Much like automotive, I'll bet their attitude comes around just as soon as the marine version of Tesla comes around and shows that not only can it be done, but it can be done better.
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The target market just doesn't care enough for their to be a free market answer.
The scale of recreational boats is so small, they largely aren't targeted by regulatory pressure (hence horribly inefficient and worse exhaust.
So the recreational boat industry basically takes the cheapest drive trains they can get, with a *little* pressure from California on emissions but otherwise just waiting for automotive industry to obsolete designs so far that it's impractical for them to acquire old tech.
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Always with the excuses apologies for while we have to accept something inferior and more costly than what we have now.
Just say no to great leap backward, and save the whales from offshore wind at the same time!
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Yep just as I suspected no intelligent response possible so just the 'I don't like the truth troll mod'
Every other technological advancement has given us fast, easier, cheaper than the previous generation. The market jumped on these things because they were 'better' people liked them better.
Now with EVs its the opposite. For all applications not 'drag racing' an EV sucks compared an ICEV of similar cost. Quicker off the line and less maintenance but with the huge caveat you won't be doing ANY of your own
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All you have to do is refill them, not wait 4 hours. Electric watercraft don't do well if your going places where the grid doesn't exist.
*you're*
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All you have to do is refill them, not wait 4 hours. Electric watercraft don't do well if your going places where the grid doesn't exist.
*you're*
Pedantry is not an argument. You will still be just as fucked with no grid as Merriam or Webster.
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I suspect that a quiet Jet Ski will sell about as well as a quiet Harley. Making enough noise to piss off everyone within a mile seems to be a major consideration in their purchases.
Re: I like gas power jet skis (Score:1)
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Electrocution hazard. Charging delay. (Score:1)
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So don't go running your toy water craft into other boats? You know, just like a gasoline powered one.
Electricity and salt water (Score:2)
What could go wrong? :-)
Batteries and water, what could POSSIBLY go wrong? (Score:2)
Especially high-energy unextinguishable lithium cells and salt water? I seem to recall Tesla having some difficulty with that in Florida in the wake of the last major hurricane.
Batteries CAN be used in wet environments, with adequate design and care. (Consider WW II submarines, for example.) But it's not a slam-dunk to survive a wet environment (let alone repeated slamming and dunking as part of normal operation.)
Not a jet ski (Score:2)
Re: Not a jet ski (Score:1)
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Yay!!! (Score:4, Insightful)
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I'll bet you're fun at parties....
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It shows.
A joke right? (Score:2)
21hp for 104kg?
That's totally anemic.
An ICE PWC was getting 200hp for 200kg 20 years ago.
I am not impressed nor interested.
How about using a fuel-cell instead of batteries?
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21hp for 104kg?
That's totally anemic.
An ICE PWC was getting 200hp for 200kg 20 years ago.
I am not impressed nor interested.
How about using a fuel-cell instead of batteries?
But the torque, oh man the torque of an electric motor. You'll go slow, but you'll get up to speed instantly!!!! ;-)
Water based Charging Stations (Score:2)
Just plug in to the High Voltage while floating on the water.
Nothing could possibly go wrong.
First form factor to 100mi. range Wins! (Score:2)
Jetski, eFoil, trike, bike or board – sports and shorthaul water transportation is a democracy for all. Expensive watercraft are limiting factors to everybody enjoying getting out of doors and their feet wet.
No runtime quote with new batteries (Score:2)