Christened “Tang” at its Sept. 21 launch, the carbon-fiber speedster is undergoing tests at Tag facilities in St. Francis Bay, South Africa. It will set sail later in 2010 to its owner in Florida and will appear at the Miami sailboat show in February.
“This is a transformational combination of technologies,” said EMP Chief Executive Officer Dave Tether. “Our E Motion hybrid system converts wind and solar energy into a practical power source for boat motors and auxiliaries. And, International Battery’s lithium cells provide the lightweight, high-capacity storage that really lets us take advantage of it.”
The main renewable energy input to the large-format battery pack is electricity regenerated by wind power as the boat’s propellers spin in the wake, under sail. The propellers turn the 18-kilowatt propulsion motors, which automatically become generators and send electricity back to the batteries.
