Sep

The Island Pilot DSe Hybrid uses diesel and solar electric drive

Posted by admin Published in SMART, EV/Plug-in, Solar, Diesel

Solar powered cars simply don’t invent much sense as everyday cars, simply considering solar cells are too inefficient at that moment to allow for suitable juice to get you very far. Or, conversely, you might be able to go far, but not very fast! that might not be as much as a hindrance for ships, though. Take for instance the Island Pilot DSe hybrid ship. that vessel is capable of 6 knots under the available 6.6 kWs of solar capability alone, and is additionally equipped with a 25kW generator which is powered by a 1-liter diesel engine adapted from the smart car. Two electric motors capable of 35 horsepower give the vessel its thrust, allowing for sppeds up to 14 knots. While the machine is at the dock, the batteries are charged

using a standard outlet. While the ship is at anchor, the solar array continues to charge the on-board deep-cycle lead-acid batteries, allowing for the continued use of electric devices. Cruising at slow speeds on sunny days is possible with the solar ability alone, or for faster speeds, settings allow for zero, three or the greatest amount of solar capability available in addition to the electricity generated by the diesel generator. Silent running is possible with that ship, which seems like it might allow for a increasingly relaxed experience at sea.

Click here for some pretty cool photos of the ship being built.

[Source: DSe Hybrid]

Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski