One question we often receive is related to the MarkSetBot battery life — how long can MarkSetBot stay in place on the course?
The short answer is “all day… plenty of time for a normal race day”. In fact, quite often the Bots return to shore at the end of a 6 or 7 hour race day with 70 or 80% battery life remaining.
A Full Day of Racing
When the Bots are on station, their battery draw is minimal. As a result, our standard lithium ion battery powers the MarkSetBot for 24+ hours in normal conditions (8-10 knots of breeze, 1-2 foot waves). In windy conditions (over 20 knots), Bots are able to hold position for 16-20 hours. Battery life is impacted by several factors: how much the Bot must move (course changes, motoring to course), wind speed, waves, and current. Current and navigation are the most significant power draws.
If you are in an area with a lot of current, or plan to have your Bot motor a long distance to the course, a longer battery life may be needed. For this, we have 2 options – an extended battery or solar power. Our extended battery has 25% more range in the same convenient footprint as our standard battery. You also could opt to include our on-water solar panel to utilize solar charging throughout the race day. (We also offer solar panels for on-shore charging!)
If you are planning to use MarkSetBots for an overnight race, reach out. We can work together on additional solar charging options or battery customization.
Stay on top of your Bot fleet’s power within the MarkSetBot app
MarkSetBots report their battery status in the app, including the health of the battery, current power draw, and the percentage of power remaining, so you’re always equipped with up-to-second data. Our app is simple – just click “Battery” in the menu and you’ll see reports from all of your Bots on one page.
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