photo credit: Elisa von Brockdorff
Over the last years, the University of Malta’s Department of Industrial Electrical Power Conversion within the Faculty of Engineering was involved in the design and building of prototype electric boats under the supervision of Prof. Joseph Cilia. The initial project involving a typical Maltese Luzzu was carried out in 2008 with the principal aim of introducing this electric means of sea transportation to replace the existing tourist boat, which presently runs on internal combustion engines.
The luzzu now makes use of the latest battery technology and is equipped with lithium-ion cells, with a total weight of 45kg. The use of Lithium battery energy reduced the boat’s weight by 83kg from the original design which used GEL type Lead acid batteries, thereby allowing an additional passenger in its certification. The monitoring and control of the electric boat uses the patented technology of local company, Abertax R&D Ltd.
The boat is fully equipped and certified to the required standard for commercial use. The University is interested in leasing the luzzu to a tourism operator to put into practice this clean technology and help in the conservation of Maltese natural heritage.
The boat is fully equipped and certified to the required standard for commercial use. The University is interested in leasing the luzzu to a tourism operator to put into practice this clean technology and help in the conservation of Maltese natural heritage.
The attractive and colourful luzzu was recently specifically updated for ‘No Man’s Land’, which forms part of Valletta 2018’s major multi-site exhibition, 'Dal-BaħarMadwarha', curated by Maren Richter. The exhibition explores the idea of 'islandness' in playful and critical ways.“No Man’s Land” was contextualised in Malta’s Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour areas, by artist Kristina Borg*.
Ms Borg treated the sea as an extension to land, with thirteen towns/cities – Kalkara to Valletta, Valletta to Sliema, each demarcated by its set of borders – that surround this coastal area. The project reflected on the lack of use of the island’s natural resource - the sea - as a means of transport in the daily commute.
To this end, it included a number of electric luzzu trips, offering a circular route around each harbor. These included several pick up / drop off points, so passengers were able to look from the sea on to the island’s no man’s land areas, while experiencing a narrative performed live by Miriam Calleja.
Ms Borg treated the sea as an extension to land, with thirteen towns/cities – Kalkara to Valletta, Valletta to Sliema, each demarcated by its set of borders – that surround this coastal area. The project reflected on the lack of use of the island’s natural resource - the sea - as a means of transport in the daily commute.
To this end, it included a number of electric luzzu trips, offering a circular route around each harbor. These included several pick up / drop off points, so passengers were able to look from the sea on to the island’s no man’s land areas, while experiencing a narrative performed live by Miriam Calleja.
Commenting on the boat battery technology, Prof. Cilia said ‘the use of the appropriate Battery Management System (BMS) can double the range and surely increase the lifetime of the battery.
The first technical results of the research work were presented in the International European Lead acid battery conference in 2008 and the paper was awarded the best technical paper award. The interesting results show that wireless data transfer and internet communication can provide an efficient way of controlling any fleet of battery equipment in both commercial and industrial environments’.
The first technical results of the research work were presented in the International European Lead acid battery conference in 2008 and the paper was awarded the best technical paper award. The interesting results show that wireless data transfer and internet communication can provide an efficient way of controlling any fleet of battery equipment in both commercial and industrial environments’.
The BMS stores a number of useful data which can be classified into two. The first would be the information regarding the three main parameters of the batteries which are voltage, current and time. From this data a number of other useful parameters can be calculated such as Amp hour, kwh, state of charge, lifetime calculation etc. The second group of information gives vital information on the battery critical factors such temperature, minimum voltage and depth of discharge.
The state of charge is an example of a parameter which gives the most useful information to the user as this indicates the remaining autonomy of the equipment. The position and speed are also useful if the BMS has an onboard GPS.
The second set of information is critical and hence from this data a set of alarms are usually generated. Having these alarms on the device itself only might not be enough, as this data should reach the service person in charge of the batteries. This necessitates the need of additional hardware that is able to communicate with a PC, Ipad or mobile through a wireless link.
There are different ways of how to get information from the BMU.
The simplest is through the use of an RS232 or USB cable which is cumbersome and inefficient. Bluetooth and Zigbee communication are more commonly used with Bluetooth picking up much more due its widespread use in equipment. Wi-Fi provides a good option and is a common type of communication equipment usually available in any commercial and industrial premises.
The use of GPRS is also very attractive especially if the battery is monitored via the internet. For the boat the GPRS had to be used in order to monitor the fleet however while on boat the vessel Wi-Fi communication can also be used to view the battery data.
The simplest is through the use of an RS232 or USB cable which is cumbersome and inefficient. Bluetooth and Zigbee communication are more commonly used with Bluetooth picking up much more due its widespread use in equipment. Wi-Fi provides a good option and is a common type of communication equipment usually available in any commercial and industrial premises.
The use of GPRS is also very attractive especially if the battery is monitored via the internet. For the boat the GPRS had to be used in order to monitor the fleet however while on boat the vessel Wi-Fi communication can also be used to view the battery data.
*Kristina Borg, Maltese artist and educator, uses participatory practices to tackle issues of space and society, communities and neighbourhoods.
No Man’s Land
A project by artist Kristina Borg held on 2, 3, 9, 10 June 2018
