The Testing, Which Went Very Well, Will Be Continued Throughout the Summer
DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / July 2, 2015 / Colorado River Discovery (CRD), a rafting company based in Page, Arizona, has just launched a new raft powered entirely by an electric motor. The launch was the culmination of eight years of research and development performed by area Universities, engineers, and a German outboard motor company Torqeedo; all initiated and funded by CRD.
"Testing went well," said Korey Seyler, CRD’s General Manager. "It far exceeded our expectations."
As well as the test runs went, Seyler said the current model electric motor is a one-off from the finished design, which they plan to debut next year during the National Park Service’s Centennial in 2016.
Colorado River Discovery, which offers Grand Canyon rafting and Colorado River rafting tours, will conduct several more tests on their new electric motor throughout the summer to fully determine its capabilities, and what improvements still need to be made to it. The tests will include several days of test runs with the Coast Guard in early July. The Coast Guard will be testing the raft’s stability and draw. In layman’s terms, they’re going to make sure the raft won’t sink or capsize. "We have no doubts it will pass those tests," said Seyler.
Seyler said he fully expects whatever adjustments and improvements that will need to be made to the raft will be made over the winter and they’ll have a fully operational all-electric raft running trips in 2016.
The electric motor is powered by three large lithium-ion battery packs, weighing 350 pounds each. It also requires a tower CPU that runs the system, and provides feedback from the batteries. To accommodate the batteries and tower CPU, CRD had a custom-built frame made.
Its batteries are embedded into the frame of the raft itself, as low and centered inside the hull as can be. Being low and centered will help provide that stability the Coast Guard is looking for. The tower CPU is sealed inside the raft’s helm, custom-built to accommodate it.
Colorado River Discovery spent $180,000 alone on the construction of their custom-built raft, and an additional $300,000 during the last eight years in the system’s research and development.
"Yes, green is good," said Seyler, "but ultimately it needs to be a good business decision, and needs to answer questions regarding sustainability, environmentally, economically, and durability."
And CRD believes that, in the long run, their rafts will prove to be good for both the environment and their bottom line. Switching their fleet over to electric will save them a lot of money in fuel costs. Colorado River Discovery spends about $325,000 dollars on fuel costs per season. "That’s nearly two rafts right there," said Seyler.
Colorado River Discovery’s long-term goal is to be on the forefront of this new technology in touring incredible natural spaces, but with each raft coming with such a heavy price tag, Seyler admits it will take them several years to build up their fleet.
The Bureau of Reclamation is also contributing to this project. They installed a charging station for the new raft where it can dock and recharge its batteries. When the CRD guide has finished their tour for the day they’ll simply plug the electric raft into the power station for the night to charge it. The power will be drawn from the generating station inside the Glen Canyon Dam power plant. Because they’re drawing power from a hydro-electric source their electric raft produces zero emissions.
About Colorado River Discovery:
Colorado River Discovery offers the most fantastic one day rafting tours anywhere on the mighty Colorado River. They provide tours near Glen Canyon Dam, half day raft trips as well as full day river rafting tours on motor rafts that are perfect for the entire family (kids ages 4 and up). They even offer full day rowing trips for those looking for a more relaxed adventure to experience the Colorado River at a slower pace. For more information, please visit http://raftthecanyon.com/.
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SOURCE: Colorado River Discovery
