RealWindmill

Thanks Old Gregg for coming onboard this thread. It's refreshing to see a post with some real facts on it and with up to date and well researched info. Agree with you about silent cruising. How good would it be to just have the lap of water past the hull as you glide along. Just like a sailing boat but without the manoeuvrability problems of the flappy bits. Unfortunately we're not there yet with the power to easily push my heavy 32ft displacement tub along. I did enquire a year or so ago of a company that manufacture motors that clamp over and belt drive the prop shaft in the hope that I could get rid of the diesel lump and hydraulic drive but the cost was eye watering The battery packs then were 48v or 72v units comprised of banks of 6v lead acid traction batteries. Obviously very heavy and even with the engine and drive removed would have made the boat sit a fair bit lower in the water (thinks :good for bridges). I currently have 1.3kw of solar panel generation on my sunroof, with room for more if necessary. Quite enough for my present off grid usage but nowhere near enough to charge all those batteries. As we have determined on this thread the infrastructure of the current electric posts precludes any successful bankside charging for the foreseeable futureless. So until and when the Samsung Li-ions you mention become affordable the whole thing is a non starter for the private boater. And at my time of life it just ain't gonna happen. But all this is not true for the fleets of day boats and small cruisers that are around. If the BA can get the power needs of the posts sorted then that could be a definate starter, which takes me full circle to the thread title - would they be allowed access to said posts ? You only have to see the numbers of electric powered outboards some solar charging that are appearing on dinghy's and tenders to see that Joe Public will embrace the technology. And as RS2021 mentioned very early on the need for this technology will probably happen in a big rush. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

A few years ago I enquired of a electric motor manufacturer to price up an electric motor drive that clamped onto my existing prop shaft. The quote was an eye watering 20+grand. That coupled with the weight of the battery pack (48v worth of 6v traction batteries ) put me off the idea. Nowadays that same company can provide an equivalent in Li-Ion sourced from the motor industry at much less weight and maintenance. I didnt even ask the price for that.! See folks, it is doable. !

Its part of peoples make-up not to want to be lectured to or have their lifelong held beliefs questioned. Thats why young Greta Thurnberg took so much stick "whats that young whippersnapper doing telling me how to live in the world" and suchlike comments. Definitely a case of shooting the messenger. At the start of this thread i wasn't very Green, just a little sympathetic to their cause. Now with every comment coming in I find myself getting greener minute by minute. All this talk of diesel chugging cars makes me wonder what the NHS statistics might be regarding asthma and other respiratory diseases. Remember how the news reports were reporting how much cleaner the air was in cities and towns during the height of lockdown. They were putting it down to almost no vehicles on the roads for quite some time. MM. your chugging Volvo may be saving you loads of money but is your consciense really clear when you are stopped at the lights outside a school or an old peoples home where there are people with respiratory problems breathing your pollution. No , you're saving money. Paul, is your expectation to really drive nonstop 600miles nonstop ? Modern EV manufacturers cars are achieving 250+ miles easily before recharge needed. Some more. And that rapid recharge can be completed over your leisurely lunch break stop at the service area, then jump in for another 250. Doing 600 in an ICE car is easily doable but is not recommended by any of the motoring organisations or safety bodies. Think take-a-break, tiredness kills etc. Also the EV will be super quiet, just tyre noise, so the driving experience is much less stressful. Radio 3 or JazzFM on the radio a much better listening experience. In my book the EV wins hands down. MaceS. you wont find ICEd examples in your service stations or transit areas where people are passing through. The place it exists is in Multi Stories or Shopping Mall car parks where people are parking up for long periods to shop or go to work, cinema. It's considered as anti social as parking in the Blue Badge space at your local Tescos. Also, wheres this elitism dig come from? Because someone has a newer EV or bigger boat they are elitist? Sounds like a piece of inverted snobbery on your part to me. Lets keep it civil please. And finally (good i hear you cry) Mouldy. Where is all this evidence i'm supposed to have ignored? I can't find any. I see plenty of opiniion and conjecture, noboby has presented any firm evidence and neither have I. All just discussion is what I read. Meanwhile, back to electric boats and leccy posts - if we haven't already exhausted that.

I have also had the benefit of several misconceptions and outdated comments from this forum about EVs in general which i have attempted to provide updated info on from my first-hand experience of EV ownership. So i dont believe the education and benefit has been all oneway at all. What makes you sure your opinions are the right ones and that i should be satisfied with them ? i thought the whole point of forum debate is to have open discussion, not force your opinions down others throats if your views aren't accepted.

The care is if the BA did miscalculate then their whole plan of an electric boating world is dead in the water. so the look forward is ever rising diesel costs due to lack of production and motor boating will be for the elite rich only. Not in the Broadland spirit at all.

And this takes the whole discussion almost full circle. One of the early observations was that the BA stated that they had installed the posts in the first place for the primary purpose of charging electric boats. So now we are learning that the posts are of insufficient amperage and so probably not suitable for that purpose. Were the BA thinking of a different charging system to that used by road vehicles ?

Well this thread is proving pretty Hot ! there are some interesting views opinions conceptions and misconceptions coming across. Good stuff it originally spawned from the Hardley Cross moorings thread recently where, with the help of Grendels insight into the costing and provision of the cabling, the consensus of opinion was it would never be doable to provide posts there, and i for one am pleased with that as wilder moorings should remain just that ,wild and unspoilt IMHO. Still dont quite understand how our forebearers managed to achieve electric pumping stations in remote marshlands though in the early days of lecky. Less restrictions and power needs i guess. Think of this though when next you are having a peaceful evening at Hardley and the boat ahead is running engines and generators to cook his dinner etc. This thread has drifted .about a lot into territory of general EV usage and generation. and most posts (again IMHO) have made valid points. The one I found quite discouraging is this one Dont see where any knee jerk is involved. Just solutions and proven technology being advocated. As for disposal of batteries and by products, allow me to tell you a little story. I probably shouldnt on an open forum but, hey ho, ive been retired a long time now, Off the mouth of the Congo River is a deep ocean trench, probably about 4000m or so. It very conveniently sits on the border between two countries jurisdiction. In the oil business there is a process known, I think , as NDT Testing. This is not my field of expertise and if I say anything about how it works then im probably talking out of my bum - but what i do know is that is is used to test the integrity of pipeline welding, casing welding and the like and it involves X Ray usage and radioactive materials. There is a lot of radioactive waste material as an end result. Every month they would load up the deck of a supply boat with lots of barrels of this materials and then we would come along with our highly accurate positioning equipment and navigate out to a suitable position over the trench. Here the barrels would be unceremoniously jettisoned overboard. Now this is isotopes with damaging half life of thousands (millions) of years of toxic pollution contained in metal barrels which will rust open in a very short time frame. Multiply this by all the locations this is occuring in worldwide and you get the scale of the problem. By comparison the disposal of of used EV batteries is quite benign, even with millions of them. I read from the experts that quite a lot of material can be recycled from them and what can't be can be sealed in large concrete bunkers and virtually forgotten about. Maybe there is an element of spin to this but to me it makes sense. So , which is the Greener ? Back to the subject of boats and lecky. Then putting posts in yards where there used to be diesel outlets makes perfect sense. But what of the outcry from the larger craft, both hire and private, if they are not provided with posts to enable them to enjoy bankside moorings and still have their hotel room and kitchen type luxuries ?Are their expectations too high? Got to go now. Got a Fantasy Football team to sort out before the deadline. Talk to you later MM.

Just want to save the planet for future generations. During my working life people sometimes asked me what i did. One of my answers was we went to the most beautiful parts of the world and stuck an oil rig into the ground. It gave me a decent living but yes , in my dotage , i am quite anti fossil fuels.

I was here then and remember it . it is right that topics are bumped and re discussed , not only for the benefit of newbies but also get updates on peoples views and pre-conceptions. Amazing how they can change. I admit to several, oh yeah thats right moments on occasion after reading others take on things.

RS2021. Absolutely spot on . Wish i'd wrote that.

Simple answer Ch, almost all councils and cities are introducing dedicated charge bays to cover the exact problem you have highlighted. Many workplaces are also coming onboard with charge points for employees also. but dont take my word for it - please check out some of the many excellent and up to date articles that are freely accessible for all to use to update their knowledge of the EV world and future planning strategies. I did my research before taking the leap of faith into EV car ownership.

So don't run out of power ! Would you let your car or boat run out of petrol/diesel ? of course not. Sorry Cheesey , i'm not picking on you but it really is that simple. The original question was will those leccy points be available and useable to ensure EV boats are able to maintain their charge and so not drift.

With respect. Cheesey. I say to you what i said to MM. Modern EVs are very safe and you are quoting doubts and concerns that were ironed out and resolved several years ago.

Not misunderstanding at all MM. The EV is even more ideal for motorway and long distance driving than diesels Modern batteries and rapid charge points make sure of that. And its GREENER> So why not boats ?

And stayed there for the whole weekend. But that's an entirely different topic.

That is the same argument that is used with EV cars, they call it range anxiety and is easy solved by ensuring you never run out of power.by recharging - simples ! People on horseback probably said the same thing about them new fangelled car things.

Yes MM . I like a lively debate. My position is far from entrenched but I am seriously concerned for the planets future - just like that young Swede Greta whatshername. BTW , you need to brush up on your EV car knowledge. Far from being city vehicles they are now outperforming all other modes of propulsion in terms of performance, reliability and off course greenness. Boats are still a long way behind. Which is why i ask the question is the infrastructure in the Broads with leccy posts the right way to go ?

So why was the stated intention by the BA at the time of their introduction and installation to be primarily for charging of Electrical propulsion boats ? I haven't got that quote to hand but can surely dig it out if required. Maybe they were meaning for smaller lighter day boat type vessels with less power requirements. That still doesnt change my observation that pure EV boats should get priority, but will they ? Look forward to hearing more of your knowledge.

Following on from the recent interesting debate on the Hardley Cross moorings thread . Given that the original idea for the installation of electric posts was for the charging of Electric Boats, which has not had much take up to date. When electric boating does finally become the norm, as it surely one day will, then will all other boats have to make way for the new greener generation of boat. Speaking as the recent new owner of an all electric car (and doing my bit for the planet - actually its the wife's car but she lets me drive it ) I have become aware of the phenomenum known as being ICE'd. For those who may not yet have heard of this it translates as Internal Combustion Engine Blocked where an ICE car parks in and blocks an EV only charging bay , thereby stopping charger use. Particularly prevalent in Shopping Mall carparks. Will those days arrive on the Broads ? Indeed are they here already here with boats with all the electrickery on board hogging the posts. How do you foresee future post usage ? and is the idea of encouraging boats to plug in rather than run engines/ generators at all hours the best use ?

I for one was glad you raised the debate YM There has been some interesting views and information come out of it. In fact so interesting that in a minute I think i'll start another thread to cover post usage more generally over the whole Broads network , especially regarding electric boating in particular.

the apologies are from me MM as i caused the confusion with my bad grammar. Fell foul of the dreaded double negative. Sorry.

dont understand MM. you say it isn't unfeaseable and yet our society shouldn't be helping the needy ?

Wonder why all the news media outlets are ignoring this ? seen nothing on BBC ITV CNN RT or any of them. Any thoughts?

Could they not charge more at the point of outlet to the consumer and so cover costs that way? i.e. more expensive cards ?

Was on a rig off West Africa on that day with a whole bunch of Americans. CNN News was on in the background and we thought they were running a movie. Then the reality dawned. Terrible day. Lots of those guys had flights back to the States that day as well, which was of course all disrupted.