IS IT TIME TO TAKE THE PRO OUT OF e...PULSION?
It's Monday. Thursday it's April Fools.
This thing with ePropulsion (sic) is a bit fishy. And I am too concentrated on the smell.
I have found that ePro has offices all over the world. They make it sound like they have
vendors all over the states. I have found two here on the Westcoast, with a main distributer
in NewJersey. Sent them an email asking specifically for a 2021 Navy 6.0 Manual. They
sent back a link for the 2020 manual.. {When you download, it first prints the complete
manual in German. Then the manual in Chinese. Then the 28pages in English. I did it
last year. Nobody is going cruising with an electric outboard..
The three websites just mentioned still feature pictures and descriptions of their first made
Navy (so called) outboards. But they are last year's models. ePro's smaller (Spirit so called)
motors occupy YouTube. So why bother?
The 2020 Navy 6.0 (9.9hp) was paired with a Navy battery (23.4"x8.23"x11.15"). It has
been totally expurgated from all the literature as if the battery never existed. It rated
3042Wh and they got like $2,000 for it. I thought 4 of these (12168Wh) would be adequate.
The new 2021 motor, direct drive in the water, with hydrogeneration (dragging the unit with
motor off prop out of gear? to push energy back into the bats). With an almost ten year
history on the concept and now completely revampt and housed in saltwater proof IP67
security.. seemed pretty cool. Motor, direct drive, in the water doesn't need elaborate
shaft cooling like the 2020 Navy 6.0 did with the motor up top under the cowl.
The all important battery comes in 3 weights, the lightest is about 63lbs - cost 1,000 dollars.
It's lithium iron phosphate, relatively safe. Power rated at 2048Wh (E40) 48v. I'd need 6
to match the original Navy bats, thinking 12,000Wh was correct cruise backup for the motor.
But there is a rub. The E40 battery comes in a neat stainless steel package: 7.48"Hx16.48"W
x15.35 Deep. The fittings/connections, plug-ins, read-outs, wire connects are all on the
short side, which also has two 'handles' that sort-of double as protectionators. These bats
come with rubber foam mats top and bottom on the square sides.
Last day of March 2021. Just erased a whole bunch of vitriol.
Because I was just assured by FourSeas that the E batteries (and in my case the E40 can be
orientated anyway I choose. I've already complained about the bats cassette player case
style that has the controls on a short side. If I want to have the controls pointing UP (like
an AGM - or any battery since the dawn of the automobile) then it'd need 15 or 16" to stand
on its short side/end.. If they were grouped together, wiring parallel be easy -- don't know
if I have the locker room. We'll see..
4Seas also advised that I need at least 3 E40s to run the Navy 6.0.
Don't know what to expect handling the boat. Whether more backup runtime necessary,
necessary in terms of comfort level. How well regeneration works. How well the SunPower
panels work.
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