EXCLUSIVE: Secrets Shared by Marine Battery Manufacturers | Step 381 

It was informative and I listened to it on my run this morning.

Do not search for battery without BMS params display. You can't say to BMS: do not disconnect battery. Instead, you can monitor BMS params and predict how much it will power your motor depending on conditions you have at this moment. And this is not only battery voltage that you can know without BMS. You also need to monitor cells voltage, Ah left at battery, temperature of battery. You have to learn how to predict when BMS will turn off to do not repeat "sudden" power off as you had with battleborn batteries. When you are using your motor you have monitor BMS params same as you monitor wind direction and speed while sailing.

M G men with blue jackets 💙

I’d have to choose something which I can maintain and if necessary, repair at sea (maybe not so important for day sailors). A sealed battery with a non serviceable, proprietary BMS would not sit well with me. And the more information about cell state, the better.

The GS Power/InnoPower guy seems very approachable, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. The battery appears to be well thought through and sturdy, though not yet battle tested. I guess you just wanted to confirm your decision for a MG battery and now you might be reconsidering your choice. Either way an interesting video, thank you.

We sure take that for granted sometimes! Too right to thank them!!👍

HalleluYAH! Totally agree. Very much appreciate all the interviewees

Answering questions is one thing, but being interviewed is something else entirely. Yes, thank you for sharing your knowledge in a language that isn't your mother tongue.

I think the one where they get money for to put it in the picture???😊

@@guidouytterhaegen😂 I can see why you would think that but these guys are super genuine, I really don’t see a sell out here. They will only use what’s going to work and what they believe in that’s for sure!

@@SailHub yeah, I think Dan and Kika know more than the salesmen do. They’ll not be fooled by any sales pitch.

@@kevinmills5293 for sure! 👍

@@SailHubAgreed! Most of these companies either didn’t exist, or weren’t in this space at all just 3-4 years ago, Dan & Kika were really ahead of the curve for electric in the marine arena. You KNOW they will choose what works best for them. Notice Dan asked about “cold temperature charging”… so a sponsored system that couldn’t handle the Arctic, even if it’s free, they won’t be putting in UMA, we know they want to return north!

@PatRisberg lol. That made my day. Thanks. I’d like to see a dc substation shoe horned into a boat!

Don’t get me wrong , it is possible to use higher currents in a boat, but you need a Marine Electrician that knows the specific use, and can measure and size the cables correctly, knows that the cables aren’t being run next to a hot exhaust, that the crimps are done properly and torqued properly, and that the proper periodic inspections are done. But if there is a problem with corrosion, or loosening nuts due to heat cycling, etc, then with high currents the time between fine and fire is short.

@PatRisberg And that is the difference between an engineered general solution, and a bespoke expensive custom solution.

@PatRisberg Unfortunately my job as an engineer is to design products for manufacture, not just the prototypes. It would certainly be a lot easier if it was.

What is a shame is that THE topic around marine batteries is "how much power" rather than "how much weight" or "how much space". Raw batteries cells are cheap enough that the discussion should be around other limits, not always money limits. 40kWh in batteries should cost under $8k retail soon but instead it's $30k today. That simply can't last and the application for large batteries is too common, someone is going to come in an each everyone's lunch if they don't scale up.

My only worry with MG is the batteries water proof rating. If the batteries are going under the cockpit again a bad wave might take them out. If they go somewhere a bit more out of the weather they seem the most well sorted of the options being shown.

The Oceanvolt guy even speaks Australian!😆

Quote, "I am glad my 12v system has the right to exist!" Weird of you to write that. One uses high voltages in any kind of propulsion system. the reason is the voltage drop. Dublering the voltage reduces the amp by 1/2, but the voltage drop becomes 1/4. 4 times the volts, is 1/4 amps and 1/16 the voltage drop. To calculate the voltage drop specifically for a cable in an electrical circuit, you can use the following formula: Vd = (I * L * R * 2) / (1000 * K) Where: Vd is the voltage drop (in volts). I: is the current in amperes (A) flowing through the cable. L is the length of the cable in feet (ft). R is the resistance of the cable material in ohms per 1000 feet (Ω/1000 ft). K is the circular mils (CM) or circular mil area (CMA) of the cable’s cross-sectional area. This formula is commonly used to calculate voltage drop in cables. Here’s how you can use it: Determine the current (I) flowing through the cable, which is the load current or the current drawn by the connected devices. Measure the length of the cable (L) in feet. If you’re working with meters, you can convert them to feet (1 meter ≈ 3.28084 feet). Find the resistance of the cable material (R) in ohms per 1000 feet. This value is typically provided in cable specifications or reference materials. It depends on the type and size of the cable. Calculate the circular mils (CM) or circular mil area (CMA) of the cable’s cross-sectional area. This involves knowing the cable’s diameter and the specific cross-sectional shape (e.g., round, flat). Plug the values into the formula to calculate the voltage drop (Vd).

It’s been a pleasure for us to film with these guys - super switched on and bang on target!

Let us know, we are happy to support you from GS-Power. BTW, we are as well an MG and Victron integrator.

Have fun!!! She's a sweet boat!

The only downside to that interview that i noticed was the interviewees lack of knowledge about the temperature usage points for the battery. I noticed he kind of danced around the question; though he does not work for mg so it makes sense some of his knowledge was limited.

It was limit of charging, not discharging, lead-acid is the same, it doesn't take charge very well when it's cold and it does lose capacity when it's cold. Also gasoline doesn't freeze. Up to -40C a new car should start. Diesel(winter mix) will get stiff when over -30c.

If our boat is below freezing in the bilge, it means the ocean around us is below freezing. Which means we have bigger issues.

@@SailingUmabut then you could go out for a walk at least if the hull cracked. I did just see a gps track of a fox that walked from Svalbard to Canada, so if you don’t mind scavenging polar bear kills it’s doable. I recommend staying in warmer waters

HAHA!! It was a pleasure to meet you. Hope you enjoyed the show too. It's a lot!

@@SailingUma we loved it 😍, so many new ideas ❤️

They are the same, or better said same guys that made those Victron’s

GS-Power has stainless steel case, but to be honest, we have not calculated lightning strikes in. Its a very good comment 🙂.

😂 i see you're not a boater. Nothing currently is even close enough to protect from lighting when on sea. We follow the old mariners wisdom and dont go out to sea when theres a lighting storm warning. What you need to understand that we dont have currently any system that can handle the amount of current and voltage that a lightning produces. We are talking around 300 million volts and about 30000 amps. What ive heard from mariner tales that it melts through the hull as it runs through the mast. So pretty much there is no amiunt of grounding cable that would be able to handle such a blast. For reference an average full electric system is ment to handle around 100-300a continuous load and charge rate. And the other aspect is that insurance doesnt cover what they call acts of god/nature. And lightning damage is under this category. Bc they know its not something you can prepare against. Lets just say mother nature plays around with a much bigger scale then humans ever achieved so far. Hope this helps to understand. If you're hair on your arms stand up and your still around port turn back and moor next to tall building or taller trees. Thats all you can do really.

@@zenaasura1769 Thanks for your thoughts, Znsra. I am a boater who does more living aboard than sailing. But that is just about to change in a month when I depart one hemisphere and head home to another. You’re not completely correct in saying that you can’t protect against lightning. The problem with our modern boats is that we have the materials the wrong way around. The shrouds are stainless steel which is a bad conductor, and the mast is aluminium is a good conductor. So when the lightning strikes the mast it is direct down to the center of the boat where must do damage to continue to the water. Hundreds of years ago the ancient mariners used a thing called the “copper chain” which was used to direct the lightning to the side of the ships. You can achieve the same with a copper tube running from the masthead down the outermost shrouds to the gunnel and then overboard via a distribution system of some kind and there are designs for that. The current doesn’t flow through the copper tube so much as travel beside it. The copper tube offers the path of least resistance, and in that the stainless shrouds are a deterrent. My boat, which I believe has been struck in the past has the mast to the deck, then a stainless support post, and directly below that is a huge metal grounding plate.

The first one was really great

Oh for sure. Honestly for a 12v or 24v house loads, we still think they're one of, if not, the best battery out there. And there tech support and customer service is really good. Will ,from DIY Solar Power, does great tear down videos and test of many of the 12V batteries out there, and when he opened up the BBB it was SOLIDLY built.

@@SailingUma - Good to have you reassure us about Battle Born Batteries. I was also very curious about the companies that you hade time to interview. Electric propulsion technology has been growing rapidly and can be used in many more situations. You interviewed a good range of companies. It is clear that battery power is being more integrated into "systems" where all the pieces work together. And there are also other venders that continue to produce batteries for non-integrating projects. My wife's new Rav4 Prime, a plug-in hybrid has almost a 50 mile range on just its battery. During her day to day life, her Rav4 rarely needs to switch over to the gas engine. As a note to others, sailing with just battery powered (just 2 BBB for the required 24 volts) outboard on my Capri 22 has made me become a better sailor quicker since I did not turn on the motor at the slightest drop of wind.

Yeah, surprisingly only two batteries had a built in mounting system. It blows our minds that everyone just uses a $2 ratchet strap to hold down their $40,000 batteries.

Aluminium for the win - either selium or Alustar!

but orca's are😁

Lightning is such an unpredictable threat most don’t think about it. You can get hit and be totally fine, or it could blow a hole in your hull and sink you. Even diesel boats need a tow back in when struck as it usually dries the engine electronics. Bottom line in our opinion is, it’s a sailboat, you should be able to sail it without any electronics at all. Everything electrical on a boat is a luxury, including the diesel engine.

​@@SailingUmaNew turbodiesels and others need electronics. But classic diesels with a mechanical fuel pump? Famously will run until the air intake goes underwater. No electricity needed, even the electrical starter is redundant. Those were rock solid reliable beasts!

yes, and the Nomada is very compact, the only downside is that each module has only 12,8V. GS-Power went for 51,2V as base to match the E-drive without the need to balance the battery modules.

LFP is really the only good chemistry for boats. NMC is ok too. It all comes down to how it's managed. But we're definitely keeping our eye on solid state tech too. That's almost a "too good to be true" situation.

@@SailingUma Solid state battery tech is going to be a huge revolution for automotive and marine propulsion. Does it make sense to invest a ton of money in Lithium now, or can you defer your purchase for 18 months and go with a FAR superior solid-state system?

lol!!! Yeah it happens. THEY KNOW....

EPT has excellent products, but LFP is the least critical. InnoPower has no prooven record bicause they are new on the market. There will be a video about the test results coming soon, since its in use for over 2 years in a boat from a German Sailing RU-vidr 🙂

Batteries on a sailboat (if installed below the waterline) don’t need to be heated. The bilge stays the temperature of the ocean.

Environmentally friendly and no chance of meltdown because your smart battery tender went on a bender check the capability's of saltwater new technology is knocking on the door

MG isn’t waterproof. And Every battery we showed had its one integrated system. There all solid choices.

Thank you, wait there will be more.