Electric boat maker shutters plant in WV

[jbcurt00]

I live 99min away and didn't even know they where there

https://www.wtrf.com/top-stories/electric-boating-manufacturer-closing-west-virginia-facility-a-little-over-a-year-after-opening

 

[Scott Danforth]

X shore is in Sarasota.... The boat has come in under tow almost every outing.

Another brand used a Tesla battery. They had a leak into the bilge and the battery caught on fire

The technology isn't there yet

 

[jlh3rd]

the technology has never been there. The electric car showed up first in the 1800's, and the same problem existed when the ICE car showed up. The energy content per volume and weight of a battery is no where close to a gas tank.
That's why the ICE won out.
Curious what these electric boats cost in comparison.

 

[racerone]

People with $$$$$ can but what they want.------Apparently 50% say that they would not buy an electric vehicle again.

 

[jlh3rd]

I'm all in on free market enterprise. Let the chips fall where they may. Kudos to rich people.
However, don't force a technology on me that's inferior because of some false premise.

 

[mr 88]

Was talking to a VW mechanic that just got back from electric vehicle training . When working on them they dress in hazmat type suits and can't wear anything ,including underwear with elastic in them . If they get zapped the elastic on them will burn the heck out of them . Fire ? forget about doing anything but stand back and watch it go up in smoke , that includes the fire department, just clearing the area is there job . He doesn't want to work on them after his training session laid out some of the issues with them , besides getting zapped to death.

 

[garbageguy]

Interesting article -
"The open house showcased the manufacturing steps of the zero-emissions boats, starting with the raw materials and ending with the finished products."

yep, trying to convince people with short-sighted "reasons" - they really should stop saying that, it's not true, not the whole story

 

[cyclops222]

Electric vehicles all are still suffering from range and lots of fast recharge stations.
I remember the big push to Diesel Engines. With lowest / smallest amount in each barrel of crude oil.

 

[roscoe]

PURE was just another electric outboard company, going belly up, as most of them do.

And now with the downturn in recreational luxuries, more will fail.

 

[airshot]

Electric boats, let me electric cars have there place in society. The problem is those special places are so few and far in between there is no profit. The gov't offered numerous grants for EV and battery developement, but once those funds dried up, no profit to keep them going ! Same with cars, for city dwellers they can be a good idea and a cost savings, but to many marketers are hiding the truth from consumers about operation costs and perils. Once the gov't startup money dries up so does the business. Just look at the recent influx of big gov't dollars for battery developement once again....the first 20 billion is gone so taxpayers are footing more money in hopes of some sucess.

 

[ScottinAZ]

Electric boats, let me electric cars have there place in society. The problem is those special places are so few and far in between there is no profit. The gov't offered numerous grants for EV and battery developement, but once those funds dried up, no profit to keep them going ! Same with cars, for city dwellers they can be a good idea and a cost savings, but to many marketers are hiding the truth from consumers about operation costs and perils. Once the gov't startup money dries up so does the business. Just look at the recent influx of big gov't dollars for battery developement once again....the first 20 billion is gone so taxpayers are footing more money in hopes of some sucess.

while electric cars may have a place, with current technology, there is no place (IMHO) for electric boats. The battery technology that works "best", lithium batteries, react VIOLENTLY with water under the right circumstances, which arent hard to get to. In another life, I worked offshore doing oil and gas research, and we used lithium battery packs in our equipment. Those batteries were the size of about 8 "D" cells, but contained about the same energy as a couple of sticks of dynamite. Our procedures for emergencies was to put the battery on the back deck in a sandbox and let it burn, or if we could, eject it over the side. We had to attend training where part was a video of a compromised battery exploding on contact with seawater. the electrolyte on exposure to seawater was the issue, all that needs to be done is to crack a case in some way shape or form.

aside from the explosive nature of the batteries, weight is an issue, as well as what to do when you run out of electricity. SeaTow cant just come out with a 5 gallon can of electrons to get you home, you need a tow (which is a hell of a lot more expensive than a gas run).

at some point in the future, batteries may be lighter and have less propensity to inextinguishable fires, but with any energy dense material there are and will be hazards. If they cannot be mitigated to the point of a tank of gas or diesel, I dont see it being a viable replacement for that gas or diesel.

 

[airshot]

When I said they have their place, they do. Many small inland lakes are electric only so folks have no choice. Numerous small electric powered pontoon boats and other electric watercraft for these select areas. As far as a larger cruiser or ski boat, NO way is electric power is ready !!

 

[ScottinAZ]

When I said they have their place, they do. Many small inland lakes are electric only so folks have no choice. Numerous small electric powered pontoon boats and other electric watercraft for these select areas. As far as a larger cruiser or ski boat, NO way is electric power is ready !!

depending on battery technology, I would agree with that. While heavy and "low powered" compared to others, deep cycle lead acid batteries are a safe proven technology for that situation. No way would I be putting lithium ion style batteries where they can potentially get wet (which boat doesnt, to a greater or lesser extent) especially as they age.

 

[TN-25]

Remind me why we are doing this again. Re-inventing the wheel, that is.

 

[cyclops222]

Electricity and fire. Two difficult powers to control.

 

[nola mike]

X shore is in Sarasota.... The boat has come in under tow almost every outing.

Another brand used a Tesla battery. They had a leak into the bilge and the battery caught on fire

The technology isn't there yet

I saw an X shore at one of the local watering holes... Interestingly, it was on a lift with no shore power attached to it. I've been meaning to ask about it and post pics, but, well, you know...

 

[Pmt133]

Having dealt with several lithium incidents over the last few weeks, a boat doesn't come to mind as an ideal application for that chemistry/technology. Actually seems like it checks most of the "what not to do" boxes... Something better will come along though.

Granted salt water and electrical is just a no no.... no matter what you do....

 

[racerone]

I know that folks have a poor understanding of electricity.-----I often ask local long time residents how much it takes to turn one generator at the local generating station.-----Last one was wrong by a factor of ---200----Most common guess is out by a factor of 100.-----Watts , ohms , volts and amperes are very confusing.

 

[rolmops]

So electric power may not yet be the answer. The bugs will probably be eliminated one by one.
The only way to move forward with alternative energy sources is to try ,fail, and try again until serious progress is achieved. We know what gasoline does to the environment and I think we would all want a less damaging alternative.
All of this leads me to think that one other alternative would be hydrogen in an internal combustion engine.
Hydrogen can be produced using electric power and is a very powerful energy source.

 

[airshot]

So electric power may not yet be the answer. The bugs will probably be eliminated one by one.
The only way to move forward with alternative energy sources is to try ,fail, and try again until serious progress is achieved. We know what gasoline does to the environment and I think we would all want a less damaging alternative.
All of this leads me to think that one other alternative would be hydrogen in an internal combustion engine.
Hydrogen can be produced using electric power and is a very powerful energy source.

While all very true, it is not politically correct at this time ! Politics do not allow for common sense.