Startup Developing lithium-ion powered Electric Jet Skis

[MitchJi]

Hi,

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/05/jetski-20090527.html#more

Start-up ECO Watercraft is developing a lithium-ion powered all-electric jet ski. With an operational prototype already skimming over San Francisco Bay, the company plans to begin sales of its first unit in late 2010, according to company founder Barrett Taylor.

In 1998 it was reported that a seven hour ride on a 2-stroke jet ski kicked out more pollution than an old model car driving 100,000 miles, according to Eco Watercraft.

The company is planing two different models initially. A larger “luxury model” will seat three, cruise at speeds of 50+ mph (43 knots, 80 km/h) and have a longer runtime than a gasoline equivalent, according to Taylor— more than 1 hour 30 minutes at heavy speeds, with a cruise time around 3 hours under light riding.

The initial price will be $32,000 for the luxury model, with a $2,000 discount for customers that can prove they are hooking ECO up to solar panel or another source of renewables.

The second unit, to be available a year later, is a smaller two-person sit-down vessel that will be limited to speeds of 40 mph (35 knots, 64 km/h). There will be an adjustable controller for parents to minimize the speeds at which children can ride. The unit, with a lower run time of 1 hour 15 minutes of heavy speeds and 2 hours at cruising speeds, should sell for $10,000-$12,000.

Barrett says the company is taking the “Rolls Royce” approach to its impeller jet propulsion system—i.e., sealing the technology in an airtight casing to prevent customers from tampering with technology (when wet or just curious).

Barrett said that his company is also looking at individual skis and fully electric boats, for which they will produce prototypes in the next year or so.

Videos of the electric jet ski in action are available on the company’s website.

http://www.ecowatercraft.com/

 

[Grinhill]

I had a similar inspiration to this after reading the electric boat and kayak threads.

You could probably pick up a junker jetski quite cheaply and do a conversion, maybe not as quick as this one.

I wonder what sort of motor they are using?

 

[MitchJi]

Hi,

If you could find out the power you might be able to figure out which motor by who is involved:
http://www.ecowatercraft.com/ECO_Company_0XCE.html

Todd Kollin racing on his electric motorcycle the GPR-S. Mr. Kollin owner and CEO of Electric Motorsport, has an extensive background in electric propulsion vehicles. He has converted almost every vehicle to date to run solely on electricity. Todd Kollin founded Electric Motorsport in 2001, which specializes in the sales and service of Personal Electric Vehicles as well as supplying electric vehicle parts for builders, hobbyists, educational institutions and original equipment manufacturers (OEM). Mr. Kollin has developed prototypes and supplied drive systems for numerous EV startup companies including Mission One motorcycles, Zero motorcycles, Barefoot Motors and KLD Technologies.

In addition, Mr. Kollin has produced the United State's first street and freeway legal electric motorcycle (Electric Motorsport's GPR-S). His longterm expertise and knowledge in the electric vehicle field will ensure an extremely fast, long range, hiqh quality personal watercraft.

http://www.ecowatercraft.com/Why_Electric_.html

WHY Electric?

Environmental Impact - In 1998 it was reported that a seven hour ride on a 2 stroke Jet Ski kicks out more pollution than an old model car driving 100,000 miles. Jet skis are one of the top pollutants to water in the United States. It was estimated in 2001 that air pollution from Jet skis imposes at least 240 million dollars a year in healthcare costs to Americans. The ECO will produce absolutely zero emissions. No more gasoline expelled into the water or toxic fumes making swimmers nauseous.

Noise – Gasoline engines in personal watercraft produce piercing noises that can be heard for 10’s of miles. This noise disturbance was estimated to cost the public 1.25 billion dollars in 2005 and had negatively impacted property value in the amount of 315 million. Imagine riding an ECO 50mph in complete silence. The tranquility of riding the ECO will attract even the atypical rider.

Riding in banned Areas (Feature for D :lol: ) - Although congress recently forced Personal Watercraft companies to change their engines to 4 stroke there is still a ban on jet skis in the majority of lakes. The ECO will be permitted on many lakes that restrict gasoline vehicles.

Convenience – when done riding your personal watercraft whether in the ocean or at your lakefront home you must drive to the gas station, load many large canisters full of gasoline and then dispense them into your watercraft. The ECO will simply pull up at the dock and charge. Whether you are at your Lake House, beach, or yacht it will be extremely convenient.

Technology – the latest technology will be employed on our watercraft. Gasoline engines are extremely inefficient, electric propulsion continues to make strides yearly. The ECO will embrace new technologies as they become available and incorporate them into our watercraft.

Performance – Gasoline engines are very inefficient, they have very low torque at low RPM’s and they only have peak torque in an extremely narrow range. The all electric ECO will have 100% torque anytime it is needed. The ECO can accelerate fast and very efficiently. It is a unique ride that must simply be experienced to believe.

Maintenance – Gasoline watercraft must have frequent oil changes and lubrication. Filters must be changed, parts replaced frequently. This is time consuming, expensive and just unnecessary. The ECO will not require any maintenance and will maintain a higher resale value.

 

[dogman dan]

The four stroke wet bikes are a big improvement on the noise from the old barely muffled two strokes. They must only pollute like a 62 chevy driving 20,000 miles. A complete conversion to electric would be a dream, but I doubt the drag boat guys will give up thier 450 ci V8s. Noisy as hell from 5 miles away. Sailing's tricky here, either no wind at all or 50 mph. A 36v trolling motor would be nice to put my ping on. When I was a kid, on a lake in Idaho, every teenager had a racing boat homemade from plywood that hauled ass on a 5 hp motor. Perfect for a litium electric boat. We need that design in polyethylene.

 

[deronmoped]

If they produce these E-jet skis and they outperform the gas powered ones, they will sell like hotcakes. I hope they are not blind to the fact that performance sells. They would be smart to make for a quick change battery option too. No place to charge them out on the water.

Deron.

 

[enoob]

well well . i think i found my spring project.

ive got an old 1992 kawasaki 550 with its engine on the bench . since starting down this ebike path ive been wondering what it would take to make that ride E . when i raced that ski we removed the rev limiter to get over 14,000 rpm . seems 1 or 2 larger rc motors may fit the bill . more than enough room for the motor and batterys .

i like it . direct drive . no gears no clutch just hit it and go . the biggest bonus would be all the lakes that open back up, as it stands alot of places i used to go have banned or are in the process of banning 2 strokes.

ill get some photos of my old ski and see what you guys think.

wow a sealed engine room and no problem plumming some water past the motor for cooling. i could sub it as long as i could hold my breath

editing in some photos. lots of room in that old beauty. you can find them on ebay for less than $300 most of the time and lots of parts available still.

 

[gestalt]

wow a sealed engine room and no problem plumming some water past the motor for cooling. i could sub it as long as i could hold my breath

you know, I really think you are on to something with that. I recently started pondering electric underwater scooters, and almost all of the ones I saw out there had piss poor performance. I don't want to just be pulled around slowly down there, I want to feel like I'm flying. then I ran across this contraption called the seabob
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2j5e4MIYwg&playnext_from=TL&videos=tpCWLQTdc7U

it seems to be jet impeller driven and looks like a kick in the pants to ride. now imagine you created a sealed compartment for the battery and electronics in that kickass jet ski you have there. then rig up a system where the rest of the hull can be flooded to achieve a neutral boyancy. Wala! submersible jetski james bond super secret spy look at me I'm so cool machine! and I think that the kicker is that I really don't think the cost would be that different from a motorcycle conversion. If ever there was a reason for me to move to a place with some warm water I think this is it.

you know, those fancy 12kw motors the boys are working on could be a great fit for a project like this. Though those motors look like a great fit for all kinds of projects. but from what I have been reading you want a really high rpm motor run direct drive to the impeller for best results.

 

[FeralDog]

So a $32,000 eco jetski does what more than a $12,000 Honda 4 stroke?
So it won't match speed, or distance compared to current production ICE's at half the price ?

Jetskis/wetbikets are driven on plane by relatively inefficient water jet impellers.
That electric motor style jet propulsion is perfect for underwater, lower speed units, like snorkle/scuba divers. Not really for a watercraft that needs to sustain hi-speed on plane for hi-distances.

 

[gestalt]

That electric motor style jet propulsion is perfect for underwater, lower speed units, like snorkle/scuba divers. Just not a watercraft that needs to sustain hi-speed on plane for hi-distances.

prehaps some redesigning with a couple retractable hydrofoils would be in order?

 

[gestalt]

here is the fastest E-jetski, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYKE5hQnXbM
25mph is pretty fast for a two year old design, I like how he used canvas for a light weight cowling. and here is a example of how simple a drive system can be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wK_R7ynkJU&playnext_from=TL&videos=tMXEYksXEm4
I like to daydream about how beautifully a colossus would fit in there with the water cooling being fed by the impeller. BTW, can anyone tell me why I cant seem to get the youtube inbed to work?

 

[gestalt]

I just cant seem to get off this e-jet idea.

and lo, sea do is already on it with a really tasty new design that I am promptly going to copy....er, adapt to my ideas on a light submersible jet ski.

I'm much less leaning toward modifying an existing hull and more towards just getting my hands on an impeller and a large block of foam and doing it all from scratch. this article goes in depth as to the advantages of electric drives for crafts such as these http://www.gizmag.com/the-samba-defines-a-new-class-of-65-mph-200-pound-pwc/11548/ . advances such as these just might be a game changer for the industry as a whole. and check out their flashy glam site http://silveiracustoms.com/#/home/ for some great hi rez images as well along with a photo of some of the construction of the craft

 

[grindz145]

I would LOVEE to do this. The biggest issue I see is that these things are just soooo inefficient. In order to have enough storage capability, it would cost you royally... Thats the beauty of ebikes, just so efficient.

An E kayak or aluminum boat seems a little more practical.

I still want one though...

 

[Bazaki]

I also dreamed of making a fast Electric Jetski, I saw the video from the people in the first post but I can't believe them.
Also 50 mph will take about 60 HP, That's about 1000 Amp with 44,4v, 500 Amp 88,8v.

Ofcourse would 25mph also be enough for some fun, but I trade my dream for a small electric boat with planing speed.
The boat I use goes 30 km/h with 44,4v and 160 Amp, I think that if I made a jetski I would never go this fast with about 10 hp.

I love to follow some projects about an E jetski, and since I now have a good motor, controller and Lithium batteries, maybe I build one too 8)

 

[sn0wchyld]

...
The boat I use goes 30 km/h with 44,4v and 160 Amp, I think that if I made a jetski I would never go this fast with about 10 hp.
..

how big's that boat? ie weight/size? and is it jet or prop powered? Trying to get an idea of the power required to get a lightweight jetski up to about 30 or 40.
cheers.