If you look at the list of the countries that emit the most tons of CO2 annually compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientists, you’ll notice an addition at #6 and it’s not a country.
The global shipping industry puts more CO2 into the atmosphere than all but five nations in the world.
That’s a lot.
While nations around the world have committed themselves to reducing global warming emissions through the Paris Accords, what about commercial shipping?
Alex Thomson Racing, whose HUGO BOSS sailboat, an IMOCA 60, has one of the world’s first Oceanvolt Servoprop electric propulsion systems, is about to start the world’s premier sailboat race, the Vendée Globe, on November 8th in two days. We at Green Yachts are excited to see an electric sailboat demonstrating the viability of electric sailboats competing at the highest level of sailboat racing.
It’s been one month since I and other members of the Green Yachts team crossed the Atlantic Ocean in two electric sailboats, the Arcona 435Z (Z for zero emission) and the Salona S380Z. It’s worth looking back on our trip to reflect on what it was like to sail across the ocean in an electric sailboat.
Green Yachts has heard boat brokers tell boat buyers, “Don’t buy an electric boat, they are dangerous!”
And that clearly shows they don’t know what they are talking about. To find out why, read on.
We at Green Yachts, unfortunately, do not pretend to believe that every boater is concerned about climate change and how it is rapidly affecting our planet and our oceans.
But this blog post does not try to convince anyone to believe differently than they do now.
The goal of this blog post is to convince those boaters who do realize that the scientific evidence about climate change clearly shows that climate change is unfortunately happening to take action. Help us address the rapidly escalating impact of climate change we see manifested everywhere from Australian coral reefs to California wildfires to Atlantic hurricane frequency and intensity.
Greta Thunberg recently put out a tweet that haunts me. It points out that 1/3rd of all global warming emissions have been created since 2005 – when she was two years old. And, half of all global warming emissions have been created since 1990.
Green Yachts is dedicated to advocating, selling and servicing electric boats. We believe it is the future of boating because electric motors are less maintenance, easier to maneuver, quieter and longer lasting.
However, this blog is about an existential reason that supersedes all of the above benefits on why all sailors should go electric.
Our oceans need us to.
Currently in September 2020, Bermuda is being hit by two hurricanes, Paulette and Teddy. Bermuda was hit by Hurricane Humberto in 2019. That is three hurricanes in two years and represents continued accelerating frequency of hurricanes hitting Bermuda. Hurricane Nicole in 2016, Hurricane Joaquin in 2015, and Hurricane Fay in 2014 represent a once per year trend. In 2012, Hurricane Rafael hit Bermuda following Hurricane Igor in 2010, Hurricane Bill in 2009 and Hurricane Florence in 2006 represent roughly a hurricane every two years. Hurricane Fabian in 2003, Hurricane Gert in 1999, Hurricane Felix in 1995, 1989 Hurricane Dean, Hurricane Emily in 1987 and 1982 Hurricane Debby represent a once in every four year hurricane pattern as do the three hurricanes, Fay, Alice and an unnamed one from the 70s. In the 50s and 60s, only two hurricanes, Edna and Arlene, pass within 50 miles of Bermuda.
Today, July 17, 2020, Green Yachts began sailing two electric sailboats together across the Atlantic Ocean delivering them from Croatia and Sweden to the USA.
There are no official statistics on ocean crossings by electric boats. We estimate that the oceans have been crossed less than 25 times by electric boats. Some of the most notable ocean crossings by an electric boat are:
Over the July 4th holiday weekend, I went camping with my family on the shores of Lake Tahoe. We looked forward to a weekend in nature together.
After the drive up from San Francisco with a quick stop along the way to charge our car, we arrived, set up our tents, and enjoyed the crisp, fresh air and the gently warming campfire.
Then there was a loud noise. What was that? A second later, I recognized the sound of a deep throated marine engine on an express cruiser roaring just offshore from our campsite.
We often get asked, “How does the horsepower of a gas or diesel engine compare to the kW rating of an electric motor?”
The simple answer, which is directionally correct, but not precise is that an electric motor of X kW is comparable to a gas or diesel engine with HP 1.3-3 times higher. That’s a wide range because the two don’t directly compare.
Now, here’s the real answer. And it comes with a warning label, the following explanation is made overly complex by the inclusion of history, math and the difference between optimal and real-world outputs.
For a used boat with a well-built, functional electric motor with a good-sized battery bank, a boat buyer should expect to pay a premium and yet save money in the long run and also get their money’s worth for what they pay.
First, Green Yachts recommends caveat emptor regarding any used boat and used electric boats are no exception. Even though there are less hidden issues one has to worry about buying a used electric boat compared to a used boat with a gas or diesel engine, Green Yachts highly recommends having a good surveyor survey any used boat that you want to purchase. If your surveyor does not know much about electric motors, please have that surveyor contact Green Yachts and we are happy to help them with what to look for. You can check out our blog on how to survey a used electric boat to learn more.
Second, a really good electric system is worth paying more for.
