New Genesis 2.0

[Superlyte27]

I have a few of these coming next week and I believe a demo scooter. I'm all over Florida if you want to try one out. I had the first Genesis (haha that's redundant) and thought it was fantastic. I'm giddy with excitement over the new Genesis.

 

[rjack321]

Each layer of the Warp Core is just under 100Wh and UN38.3 tested. A wiring harness connects the layers together to create the DPV battery and connect to the BMS. To prep for flight, you simply slide the Warp Core out of the tube, remove the wiring harness and slide it back into the tube. When you get to your dive destination, reinstall the harness and dive it. Even the Genesis 2.2 can fly with 1700Wh, because the layers are electrically separated to less than 100Wh for transport.

The IATA and FAA regs allow batteries less than 100Wh to be installed in Portable Electronic Devices (PED) in checked baggage if the batteries have been disconnected to prevent operation and protected from short circuit. There is no limit on how many 100Wh batteries can be installed in PED in checked baggage. The only limit is 20 each spare lithium ion batteries allowed as carry-on per IATA, not FAA.

1) I'm not sure I could ever afford the weight and space - I have too much stuff as it is
2) TSA or an airline can just say "nope don't like it, not today" pretty much on a whim. Which would seriously make me weep.

So in all likelihood I will never fly my scooter. I still like it even though I have discovered that I can't use the key to dribble an unused battery down into the storage voltage range.

 

[Superlyte27]

1) I'm not sure I could ever afford the weight and space - I have too much stuff as it is
2) TSA or an airline can just say "nope don't like it, not today" pretty much on a whim. Which would seriously make me weep.

So in all likelihood I will never fly my scooter. I still like it even though I have discovered that I can't use the key to dribble an unused battery down into the storage voltage range.

I'll let you know how it goes. I'm taking one to Bonaire first week of March.

 

[Valyngar]

Does genesis have any European representation? Can I buy it from EU without horrible import taxes from US. Seems like best scooter out there, if you can travel with it.

 

[rddvet]

2) TSA or an airline can just say "nope don't like it, not today" pretty much on a whim. Which would seriously make me weep.
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That's where I'm at and why I'm surprised there's such an interest in scooters that can travel. It's a crap shoot with TSA and foreign equivalents as to what they do and don't allow. It really seems to depend on what dummy you get to deal with. I always print out the TSA form for things like can lights and whatnot, but haven't had to use them. I'd be afraid that even with whatever paperwork Jon can supply and showing the batteries aren't connected in series, that somebody at the airports gonna say no. Then do you skip your flight and bring your scooter home or leave it at the airport for the week you're gone? Too much stress for me

 

[Jon Nellis]

I've traveled with DPVs and never had a problem, but I proactively put an info packet in the bag with it explaining to the TSA inspector what it is, what the regulations are and instruction to call my cell or have me paged in the airport if they want to open the DPV to inspect, as it could be damaged from improper (dis)assembly. It's the first thing the inspector sees when they open the bag and it is really obvious. They have never called or paged me and never rejected it. It pays to be proactive.

The only report I have heard of someone being denied is when the customer was bragging to the ticket agent about his new lithium battery scooter. The ticket agent had no clue what the regulations were and her default instructions were to deny accepting anything questionable. After numerous calls to their management, they admitted it was legal and should not have been denied, but the owner had already left and they could not forward it to their destination with out the owner being on the plane.

Moral of the story: If you volunteer information to someone who does not know the regulations but has the power to prevent you taking it on a flight, you are your own worst enemy. When they ask me what's in the bag, I tell them "diving gear - no air tanks." Unless they have a policy that prohibits specific items, like most airlines do for hoverboards (since their batteries are between 100Wh and 160Wh) you are good to go. The TSA is charged with actually inspecting the baggage, not the airlines, and they know the regulations. 49 CFR 175.10(a)(18) and the IATA lithium battery passenger pamphlet. Airline approval is only required for batteries between 100Wh and 160Wh. You do not need airline approval for batteries less than 100Wh.

 

[Jon Nellis]

Does genesis have any European representation? Can I buy it from EU without horrible import taxes from US. Seems like best scooter out there, if you can travel with it.

We do not have a dealer in the EU, but can ship there via FedEx or DHL. I'm not familiar with what taxes you are referring to, but either the dealer pays the import duties and passes them to the customer or the customer pays them directly. VAT can't be avoided, except we have had customers take a dive trip to the US, take a DPV home in their baggage and I doubt they claimed them on arrival.

 

[Wildthing520]

Without having any more information, the phrase "You mileage may vary" has never been more true. If you and your buddy were 5'8" 160lbs with decently streamlined drysuits, I'd say no problem. If you are both 6'8" 280lbs with baggy drysuits and poor buoyancy, maybe not. It is all about diver drag and I've never seen you or how you dive, so there's now way to answer those questions with a 100% guarantee.

For reference, I'm 5'8" 155lbs, DUI Flex 50/50 w/ leg pockets. Diving side mount, I'm typically around 190 watts for 150fpm. In a wet suit, I'm down around 155 watts for the same speed, wet suit and single tank, I'm down around 125 watts. If I had a better streamlined drysuit, my power usage would drop. I've dived side by side with some people on Genesis that use up to 30% more power to go the same speed, because of their riding position, gear drag and buoyancy control, and a few divers that use less power than I do. Towing a buddy, really depends on how streamlined you can get. If they grab on right behind you and put their head below your tanks, their view will stink, but you'll use a lot less power than if they are on a 6ft leash behind you, where they can see.

As for run time at top speed, that is the most frequently asked flawed question for comparison, since other DPVs can not reach the same top speed. Run time at top speed on the Genesis 2.1 is only about 50 minutes before it drops into reduced power mode of 300 watts for another 30 minutes. If you reduce the power down to the same max speed of slower DPVs, the run time will be longer. If you really need to run a DPV at full max power to minimize deco obligation on a dive profile, you should be looking at the 2.2. Very few divers need that, but we have a few that do. Also consider that other DPVs cannot actually be run at max continuous power for an entire battery discharge, because they will overheat the motor inside. Every DPV we ship goes through a factory burn test in a water tank, running continuously at 100% max static thrust until the motor controller goes into low power mode when battery charge gets low. The Genesis motor cannot be overheated.

Finally, you should dive plan your DPV battery capacity, just like you dive plan your breathing gas supply. Rule of thirds, at a minimum, for critical dives. Most divers are completely oblivious to this, as they have no way to track or manage battery consumption. We recognized this years ago and it's why we were the first to come out with a DPV dashboard, the Sentry.


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If Nellis can design another extra on the top charging hole, the external battery pack is great, as long as you lose power, you can always take the power out of your pocket or backpack and put it on the top for diving.

 

[rjack321]

So I discovered what seems like a quirk in the android battery app. This time of year (winter) it's hit or miss if I can dive sometimes with storms. If I have to cancel a dive I usually leave the electronics key installed for a few days/week to drag the battery voltage down close to the storage range - as it might sit for a month+ at full charge otherwise.

The main screen of the app does not register the slow steady amp draw taken by the electronics from having the key installed. After a week it still showed 98% but if i scrolled into the battery details they were down to around 3.8V each. Actually using the motor is required for the app mainscreen to see and record the power consumed and the state of overall charge.

 

[Superlyte27]

We got our new scooters earlier this week and dove them at Ginnie last night. They are fantastic. The Sentry computer is awesome.