. . . .not the boat's ribs, mind you, mine, but we'll get to that.
In the process of getting Tesla's Revenge ready for travel, we knew we had to replace the battery stack. The current stack, composed of eight, 35 AH batteries ( and somewhat elderly ones at that ) was inadequate even for staying off grid most of the time, let alone powering the drive of the boat. Accordingly and in our right minds and everything, we measured and, debit card in hand, ordered in 8 new, 100 AH deep cycle batteries.
Now before I get any further, yes, I know lithiums would have taken up less space and yes I know they weigh less and yes I know they have greater energy density, etc. Yep. Got that. We just don't have the cash to lay out for Lithium-Ion cells at present. Also I found a good deal on the lead acid gel cells we're installing.
But these things are a MOOSE. Below is a photo of the new batteries next to one of our old ones:
So we cleared out space for them in the bilge, putting in some new supports and anchoring in battery boxes to protect them.
Wiring up the new stack was a cinch since we already had the connectors, but lowering these monsters into place was another thing entirely. Dropping in the third one, I slipped, came down hard on the compartment edge on my side, and something went "grunch".
Ow. So now the next four are gonna have to wait a bit as I'm in pain and wrapped in elastic bandage. The good news is the four we have wired in are working spectacularly. We're off grid 24/7, just went through some major cloudy days with no problem, and, in general, we're really pleased. Should have done this ages ago.
Lots more to do, of course. We've four more to load and wire in, we're replacing our fridge with a medical freezer (surprisingly more efficient ), and then, of course, there's the drive, but we're making rapid process. . . .
. . . If I can just stay in one piece.
More shortly. Enjoy the spring.
M
In the process of getting Tesla's Revenge ready for travel, we knew we had to replace the battery stack. The current stack, composed of eight, 35 AH batteries ( and somewhat elderly ones at that ) was inadequate even for staying off grid most of the time, let alone powering the drive of the boat. Accordingly and in our right minds and everything, we measured and, debit card in hand, ordered in 8 new, 100 AH deep cycle batteries.
Now before I get any further, yes, I know lithiums would have taken up less space and yes I know they weigh less and yes I know they have greater energy density, etc. Yep. Got that. We just don't have the cash to lay out for Lithium-Ion cells at present. Also I found a good deal on the lead acid gel cells we're installing.
But these things are a MOOSE. Below is a photo of the new batteries next to one of our old ones:
 |
| They weigh like they look, just short of 80 lbs. each. |
 |
| Here's the center battery compartment. The remaining four will go in the stowage compartments port and starboard. |
Ow. So now the next four are gonna have to wait a bit as I'm in pain and wrapped in elastic bandage. The good news is the four we have wired in are working spectacularly. We're off grid 24/7, just went through some major cloudy days with no problem, and, in general, we're really pleased. Should have done this ages ago.
Lots more to do, of course. We've four more to load and wire in, we're replacing our fridge with a medical freezer (surprisingly more efficient ), and then, of course, there's the drive, but we're making rapid process. . . .
. . . If I can just stay in one piece.
More shortly. Enjoy the spring.
M
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