Hybrid boat

Since I am in a bit of humerous mood this morning, and I found this great story related but amazing none the less, I figured I should share it with you all under the conversions theme of the week. This time though it is not a car, but a giant boat...and the hybrid is a giant kite. In a sense this is an oil wind hybrid - a piece of art that can only exist in the water.

Check out the following six pictures to believe it - Theoretically this combination saves up to 30% of the fuel reuirement and emissions - better than a prius!

"He expects SkySails to cut the $7,500 daily fuel costs of his cargo ship by up to $1,500. And he said the positive impact on the environment was a welcome dividend. "

You got to love it...

Comments

[Susmith Gopalan]

How do they plan to steer? do they have anything to control this 'kite'? Wouldn't the kite go along with the wind? great idea though.

Susmith

[Benjamin Bakhshi]

20% reduction in fuel costs? That's not funny, that is serious business. Cutting fuel costs $1000/day makes these sails worth their weight in gold.
How do you price something like that? I imagine the sail can't cost more than $20,000 to manufacture.

[Rolf]

Cool. I guess somebody saw all the kit surfers on the beach and figured this could be used in other directions.

Susmith, here you go: '..depending on conditions and the kite sail design, the direction of the kite’s motion can be as much as 130° off in either direction from the desired direction of travel. In other words, unless the wind is blowing almost exactly the wrong direction, you’ll get some benefit from it.'

And its an opportunity to put (another) PC on every ship:

'Some kite sail installations use a computerized system to plot the best route for your ship based on the direction of the winds in the area, which might take you on a somewhat roundabout course but at least saves fuel.'

http://itotd.com/articles/603/kite-sails/

[Jeff Word]

You should really check out http://www.dsehybrid.com/ the first hybrid diesel/electric 40ft yacht. extremely cool concept. Diesel generators and solar panels charge a big set of batteries that drive electric motors. 7 knots on full electric from solar panels only, up to double that on batteries for 2 hrs. Generators kick in after that. Pretty luxurious and quite a bargain at $500k.

See if you can get Hasso to pick up a couple for us to test out on the Bay.

JW

[Amir Idan]

Amazing. Here's another great car/bike that is expected to hit the market by 2008 as either hybrid or full EV: http://www.flytheroad.com/vid_frame.html

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[Oldrich Nos]

Any gadget saving fuel and time is welcome. Anyone serious about this may inquire about my technology which is about a decade ahead - in ruggedness, simplicity. low cost, seawothiness, manoeuverabilty with virtually no supervision. Cutting off all nonsense and increasing speed.Suitable for handicapped.

[Jordan R Nos]

Hello, Oldrich.... get back to me

[Electric Scooters]

Thanks for sharing this information! I believe that scooters are one answer to the growing problem of pollution and global warming! They are perfect for commuting within a city, or for any short trip. I also have a website about scooters that you may with to check out. Feel free to visit at: http://www.electricscooteroutlet.com Thanks again!