Chloride batteries

Lynch electric motor

Frequently Asked Questions

What life can I expect to get out of a set of batteries, and are they expensive to renew?

Properly maintained and charged up, a set of traction batteries should last at least 6-8 years, often more. Their replacement cost should be looked on as buying your fuel in advance, since their recharge costs are tiny compared to diesel or petrol. The best leisure batteries should last 2-4 years, but battery life is considerably reduced if you leave them discharged for a month or more.
   Gel batteries are more expensive than wet acid cells, but are more resistant to being left discharged.

How long should it take to recharge them?

Most chargers we supply will recharge the batteries overnight.

How many hours will they run for?

This will depend on the size of the battery bank, and how much throttle you use. Typically a standard bank will give 6-8 hours at a moderate throttle, but open it to full power, and this will reduce considerably, with little increase in speed, but just more wash. If you want more range, we can supply extra battery banks.

Electric boats may be better for the local environment, but do they not just move the pollution to the power station?

To a certain extent this is true, but the amount of pollution will be much less, since a power station is more efficient than a slow-running diesel engine, and if the world wants it, electric power can be produced by non-polluting means, such as wind, solar or wave power. Already in this country you can choose to buy your mains electricity from wind power sources.

Are lead and acid not pollutants?

The lead in batteries is in a solid, non-polluting form, encased in plastic boxes. It can also be easily and cheaply recycled, with the USA recycling over 75% of its lead for new batteries. Sulphuric acid is also very cheap to make, and can be recycled and re-used. Modern boat construction is designed to ensure that it cannot escape into the environment even in the case of a leak.

Electric boats are slow and have limited range.

On most UK waterways there is a speed limit of 4mph or 5mph, and a properly designed electric boat is quite capable of achieving this. A far as range is concerned, with the correct battery pack you should get at least one day's cruising, and as TELCO has shown with Pike and Wagtail, you can easily get much more.