Old Nick is being built-to-order for Paul and Kay Sumpner and is one of only a handful of electric serial hybrid narrowboats.
The narrowboat is being powered by Leoch LC lead carbon batteries. Once Old Nick is afloat, solar, generator and battery statistics will be published to demonstrate how an electric serial hybrid is a practical and cost-effective alternative to diesel.
Paul Sumpner, owner of Old Nick and chief technology officer at Digital Yacht, said: “Lead carbon batteries have been overshadowed by lithium batteries in recent years, probably because they do not excel in any one particular area. However, whilst investigating the batteries for Old Nick, it became clear that the combination of cycle life, depth of discharge, safe and flexible installation, cost and most importantly ability to accept regular partial state of charge, make them a really good choice for electric propulsion on a narrowboat.”
For more details about the build of Old Nick, visit thesumpnersafloat.com.
