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Bill, Greg and Andy have taken the time to share their thoughts and answer our questions about the Ski Nautique E! Check out what they have to say below.CLICK HERE to view the entire discussion!
Jeff: First, thank you for being willing to take questions about the new Ski Nautique E from Planet Nautique members.
Bill: Jeff, it is totally our pleasure. We appreciate all of the interest in the new electric boat and are happy to answer any questions about it. I am probably the least technical guy on our team so I have asked Greg Meloon, our Vice President of Product Development, to help with the more technical questions (ok, actually all the technical questions). Greg is a very sharp guy but I know he also got a lot of help on his answers from both his Product Development team and the outstanding team at LTS.
As you will see, we also asked Andy Mapple to answer one of the questions regarding the boat’s performance.
Jeff: The build up to the announcement was pretty intense, did you expect that?
Bill: No, I didn’t. When I wrote the January 18 Nautique Insider (about our boat shows) I was excited about the upcoming electric boat announcement so I just briefly mentioned that people should check back next week for an exciting announcement. It was truly a passing comment and I had no idea what it would unleash. My phone and email immediately started blowing up with people wanting to know what we were doing. And, of course there was the Planet Nautique thread with people trying to guess what we were announcing.
Jeff: Did you read the Planet Nautique thread?
Bill: Absolutely, I had all kinds of people sending me the link from Planet Nautique and other discussion boards where my comment was being discussed. The PN thread was fun to read and there were a lot of great ideas expressed, some of which we are planning to do. For clarity though, we are not currently planning a hovercraft!
Jeff: Some people wondered why you would focus time and attention on an electric boat. Would you comment on that?Bill: Jeff, it is very important to me that our company be future focused. We are always looking out 1, 3, 5, 10 years and trying to not only predict the future but also create it. Focusing on projects like this helps our team keep a future focus, keeps us highly energized and helps our creativity in all kinds of different ways. A project like this is positive in many, many ways.
Jeff: How is Nautique impacted on the electric boat by what is happening in the auto industry?
Bill: A few weeks ago Greg Meloon and I had the pleasure of attending the North American International Auto Show in Detroit with members of our Product Development and Marketing teams. It is evident that automotive manufacturers see real world value in developing and producing electric powered vehicles. Just as today’s Nautiques are powered by gasoline engines, future Nautiques may be powered by electric motors that will soon be proliferating in the automotive market. The Nautique team is committed to leading the way with future product.
Jeff: But some people say an electric boat is not practical right now?
Bill: In many ways an electric boat is not practical now, we know that. However, technology will improve and costs will drop and it will be practical someday. We will be leading our industry when it does. Keep in mind we are not at the end of the road, we are taking first steps.
Jeff: When will this boat come to market?
Bill: There are a few things that are currently keeping us from going to market with the new electric Nautique. One is the cost; the boat would be very expensive. Another is the lack of industry standards to build an electric boat. We obviously want the boat to be totally safe. I have already met with the President of our industry’s chief standard making organization and our team is planning to work with them to get the standards created. There are also other minor factors but these are a couple major ones.
Jeff: How much would this boat cost?
Bill: We have not yet tried to create retail pricing for the boat but it is safe to say that it would be significantly more expensive than a current Ski Nautique. However, that will change and one day it will be affordable.
Jeff: How does this impact PCM?
Bill: We have a wonderful relationship with PCM and I am friends with their CEO, Chuck Thurman. I have kept Chuck abreast of everything we are doing and there is no tension there at all. PCM is an outstanding company and they are very focused on the future too. Chuck and I regularly talk about the future and we expect to be aligned with PCM for a very long time.
Jeff: Why did you choose to use the 196 hull rather than the 200 hull? Bill: We had one! We have incredible demand for the Ski Nautique 200 and if we were building one we wanted it to be for a boat we were selling.
Greg: The Ski Nautique E prototype hull actually began life as a 2008 hull that has been used for several propulsion projects. Future development will focus on current hull designs.
Jeff: What other future plans do you have for the 196 hull?
Bill: The Ski Nautique 196 was a fantastic model for Nautique boats, for many years, but the Ski Nautique 200 is a better boat. The Ski Nautique 196 will continue to make a fantastic used boat purchase for many years to come but I have people tell me almost every day how great the Ski Nautique 200 is and how impressed they are with it.
Jeff: What gas motor does it correlate to?
Greg: The differences in power delivery between our current engines and the electric motors in the Ski Nautique E make it a bit difficult to compare the drive-trains. Through this process, we learned quickly to speak about power in kilowatts, not horsepower, and became interested more in battery storage capacity as compared to usage.
Comparing the electric motors to a gas engine also created some preconceived ideas within our own Product Development team, some of whom were extremely skeptical of the drive-train’s potential. After all, it is difficult to be impressed if all you do is compare the power ratings of the engines we are familiar with to the output of the two electric motors (at something more than 200 horsepower.) However, the power delivery of the electric motors is very different, with full torque available at zero rpm rather than over 3000 rpm with the gasoline engines. This results in a strong ‘electric motor like’ pull out of the water for a skier, which some say is better than the industry’s current gasoline engines. Once up to speed the peak power is more than adequate to pull maximum speed slalom skiers. While the electric motors may not win a drag race against a PCM 343 Excaibur powered Ski Nautique, they certainly meet the needs of the strongest slalom skier.
Jeff: Why did you choose to use 2 motors instead of a single more powerful motor?Greg: The motors powering the Ski Nautique E were specifically designed for the Electric Vehicle (EV) market and are extremely compact, efficient, and most importantly, liquid cooled (many of the higher output single engines are air-cooled.) For maximum output, temperatures must be kept low and the lake water provides an excellent source of liquid for cooling, helping to make the current motors an obvious choice. The two motor configuration also allows for more room inside the boat.
Jeff: How does the weight compare to a standard internal combustion 196?
Greg: The electric motors, controllers, and batteries tip the scales at slightly more than the weight of a standard Ski Nautique with a full tank of fuel.
Jeff: Can you provide sound level measurements at different positions in the boat while running at different speeds and the same decibel measurements from a 5.7L 196?
Greg: We have not taken specific sound measurements, but, we have noticed some things about the sound characteristics. Unlike an electric vehicle rolling on rubber tires, which can be eerily quiet, the approach and pass-by noise of the boat is very similar to a gasoline powered Ski Nautique. Most of the noise from an approaching Ski Nautique is created by the hull interacting with the water and propeller noise transmitted throughout the hull. However, there is a noticeable difference when the boat pulls away due to the distinctive absence of exhaust noise. In the cockpit, the driver predominantly notices water noise with no engine noise. The biggest advantage is at idle or around the dock where there is no machinery noise! The ability to speak with your skier in the water without speaking over the engine is a valuable improvement.Bill: At first, it was actually a little disorienting for me to be at idle with complete silence. However, it is something you very quickly learn to like. Also, when Whitney McClintock skied behind the boat she mentioned what a great experience it was to ski without the noise from the exhaust.
Jeff: It appears that the boat is fitted with the LINC system. Is it safe to assume that Zero Off works on this boat?
Greg: Not yet. The LINC system is used in the current prototype to deliver GPS speed information. Production speed control will be proprietary. It will be very tunable and will provide an excellent feel for the skier while adhering to the regulations of the waterskiing governing bodies.
Jeff: Are you considering battery technology other than lithium-ion?
Greg: Not at this point, although we are continuously researching new technology to ensure we provide state of the art, safe and proven battery technology.
Jeff: What is the battery recharge time?
Greg: Currently, the batteries will charge in 4.5 hours when 220/240-volt 50 amp service is provided to the onboard charging system.
Jeff: What about safety with electric at the dock?
Greg: We are aware that there are significant concerns about the safety of electricity around water. In practice, there are many marinas around the world already with shore power on their docks that provide electric current sufficient to power large vessels.
Jeff: Have you considered offering a boathouse rooftop solar charging system as an option?
Greg: We love the creativity of some of the ideas expressed related to this boat, including this one! A solar charging system is probably not a solution that we would be providing although it could possibly be feasible for the boat owner to adapt to their specific situation.
Jeff: Can the utilization in hot climates cause battery degradation due to heat?
Greg: High temperature degrades the capacity and useful operating life of all battery technologies, but more so with certain secondary lithium types. Historically these have been cobalt oxide and manganese oxide types. The current battery pack’s chemistry is iron phosphate. Iron phosphate has been shown to be more resistant to impacts from high temperatures than oxide types of cells. In addition, the battery management system keeps all cells tightly balanced so that each carries the same load, generates the same heat, and wears evenly over time.
Jeff: What happens in the event of total immersion (submarining, sinking, etc)?
Greg: The Ski Nautique E is equipped with safety systems that will shut off all power from the battery high voltage outlets in the event of swamping or capsizing.
Jeff: How much impact will audio systems and other accessories have on the run time?
Greg: The impact is not significant on the boat runtime. Think about it in terms of power draw. Assume a 500 W ( ½ kilowatt ) continuous draw remembering that our current alternators only put out 1.4 kilowatts and you can get the picture. Our current demands are easily taken care of by the alternator. The accessory load is only a very small percentage of what the motors require.
Jeff: What other forms of propulsion are you investigating?
Greg: We have explored diesel engines but found the current turbo lag to be unacceptable for accelerating with a skier, particularly for Nautique’s standard. New technology is bringing diesel engines closer to reality but they are still more costly than gasoline propulsion systems.
Consumers in Europe have converted gasoline engines to be run on propane for decades. Certain benefits can be attributed to this arrangement but storage of propane on the boat reduces capacity and creates additional challenges.
Jeff: How would you describe the performance of the boat?Bill: I think it would be best to let Andy Mapple answer that one.
Andy: The performance is very surprising. The wake on the boat felt a little harder and the troughs a little deeper, which we knew would happen due to the center of gravity being further back. It was also a little different since I am now so used to the incredible Ski Nautique 200 wake!
However, for a 196, if I had not known this was an electric motor, I would not have been able to tell you the difference. The pull felt a little different to start with, but no different than what I feel with a ZO pull from letter to letter. The speed is RPM based at this point, and the LINC system ZO (a special program) was used to establish the needed RPM, then this was inputted to the motor controller. The pull was VERY smooth and consistent. There is a quicker reaction to RPM change than a conventional motor which makes it very smooth. The acceleration from the slalom skier standpoint was no issue. Neither the deep water starts nor the dock starts felt different than a normal 5.7L.
Jeff: So, what is next from the Nautique team?
Bill: Well, we need to keep that confidential for now but I assure you our team is highly energized and working hard to look into the future. We are working on all kinds of projects. The next few years are going to be very exciting!
Jeff: Any final thoughts?
Bill: Again, I would like to thank everyone for their interest in what we are doing. We know that what we do means nothing without interest from our current and potential customers. We thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the input we get.
We are excited about the future. Greg Meloon and the Nautique product development team are the best in the industry. They are highly energized and looking forward. Greg is doing an outstanding job of continuing to enhance the wonderful Meloon heritage of innovation. We believe that our best days are ahead and we are 100% committed to delivering the best product on the market.
