Solar-Camper
Solar- and electric-assisted pedal catamaran with a cabin for two: silent, emission-free, multi-day off-grid capable.
THE TASK
Active, emission-free travel on water usually ends after a few hours: short battery range, no charging infrastructure, no room for comfort or an overnight stay. What does a craft look like that carries two people, muscle- and solar-powered, off-grid over several days, without noise and without a fuel dock?
APPROACH
A pedal catamaran with a cabin: two slender stitch-and-glue hulls carry a deck with two swivel seats and an igloo cabin. Two pedal generators, together with solar surfaces on the roof, side walls and bow box, feed a LiFePO4 store that powers two custom BLDC motors in the hulls. Differential steering replaces the rudder: straight, turning, spinning on the spot.
CHALLENGES
- → Weed-clearance: keep the drives free of plants automatically on weed-choked inland waters (weedless propellers + deflector profiles)
- → Pedal energy without in-house development: find a suitable off-the-shelf pedal-generator solution
- → Weight budget: the whole boat should be carried to the water by two people
- → Synchronizing two BLDC motors in real time for differential steering
RESULT
Concept phase, anchored by four premium renderings (day cruise, evening dinner, cockpit detail, morning mist). The underlying tri-hybrid principle of muscle power, e-assist and solar has already been validated in the real world across seven off-grid days via its predecessor, Solar-Paddle. Next steps: detailed drivetrain design, weed-clearance solution, hull.
TECHNICAL EXECUTION
- → Hull in stitch & glue (plywood stitched, laminated with epoxy/glass): light, stiff, repairable
- → 2× custom BLDC integrated into the catamaran hulls, VESC open-source controller
- → Differential steering instead of a rudder: synchronous, turning, spinning on the spot, reverse
- → Energy system: solar (roof / sides / bow box) + pedal generators → MPPT → LiFePO4
- → Operating modes SPORT / ECO / SOLAR / DRIFT / MANOEUVRE via custom control logic
WHAT STANDS OUT
A tri-hybrid catamaran with an overnight cabin that manoeuvres without a rudder, on two differentially controlled BLDC motors alone, at under 0.3 m draft. The automatic weed-clearance is the key standalone development for real inland use.