Is a 24v Trolling Motor More Efficient?

Is a 24v Trolling Motor More Efficient?

Is a 24v trolling motor more efficient? Have you wondered why most people prefer the 24V trolling motor?

24V trolling motors are one of the most popular electric propulsion systems for anglers who have a larger boat and look for more power and longer periods out on the water.

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Trolling Motor More Efficient?” width=”500″ height=”750″ /> Is a 24v Trolling Motor More Efficient?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, it could be a daunting task to select the best one in this huge market . Moreover, the 24V trolling motor wiring, especially the battery setup, could be a big hassle to get started for people who are new to the electric trolling motor.

No worries.

In this post, we will help you choose the best 24-volt motor for your desired needs (including battery recommendations) and guide you through the detailed steps in hooking up your 24V trolling motor.

If you are still hesitant about 12v or 24v trolling motors, we will also provide insights on the pros and cons for each so that you can make a wise choice.

What is the advantage of 24v over 12v?

As there are pros of 12V vs 24V systems, there are also cons to each type of system. Some of the pros of one system can become a con of the other.

Using a 24 volt supply instead of a 12 volt supply greatly reduces the wiring cost to almost half the original cost.

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The largest battery bank using 120Ah batteries is 720Ah on a 12V system, holding 8640Wh. Changing to 24V means we can now have 12 x 120Ah of batteries storing twice as much power or on a 48V system, twice as much power again

24v vehicles which are fitted with lower power 12v motors are more likely to have longer battery life.

This is so because increasing the voltage of a system causes a reduction in the current through it, and in turn reduces the size of the wires you need.

Downsides of 12V

12V systems require massive wires when pulling large loads because the current (amps) are higher.

As we have already learned, 24V systems reduce the current or amps two times, then a downside of a 12V system is the amperage is double that of a 24V system at the same power.

12 Volt Cable Size

At 12 Volts very big cables are needed for high power appliances like inverters, in this case, 2 cables are used to properly handle the current. If this were a 24-volt system only those cables would be needed.

Because 12V batteries use two times the amperage at a given power draw, they are less efficient than a 24V battery due to resistive losses.

Downsides of 24V

If you are using a 24V system in an application with 12V appliances, you will need a converter to reduce the voltage to 12V. The variety of components and devices that run on 24V are not as plentiful as what is available in 12V.

Orion 24V to 12V converter

This is a 24 volt system installed in an RV and this extra piece of equipment is needed. This is a 24V to 12V DC-DC converter. While this works very well to provide stable voltage, it is an extra cost and incurs a 4% energy loss.

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Although you can charge a 12V battery with the alternator of a vehicle, you won’t be able to do that with a 24V system if the chassis is a 12V system. Additional DC-DC converters are needed to accomplish this task.

Is 24V more efficient than 12v?

Now that we have learned a little about 12V vs. 24V systems, we need to understand when we should use one over the other.

When building a DC (direct current) battery system, it’s crucial to understand your power requirements to run the appliances you need.

The energy that is consumed by a device is measured in watts. Once you know your wattage requirement, you can determine what system is required.

If your requirements are below 3000W, you can generally get by with a 12V system.

12 volt RV solar system

Many recommend 24V systems when your power needs are above 3000W or generating 3000W of solar or more.

When you get to this point, the benefits of a 24V system outweigh the cons because you can run smaller and increase the system’s efficiency.

If your power consumption is even higher, above 6000W, you can benefit from an even larger DC system and consider stepping up to 48V

12 volt RV solar system

Many recommend 24V systems when your power needs are above 3000W or generating 3000W of solar or more.

When you get to this point, the benefits of a 24V system outweigh the cons because you can run smaller and increase the system’s efficiency.

Is 24V faster than 12v?

Power wheels with 24V batteries can reach a maximum speed of 6 mph while those with 12V batteries can reach up to 6mph

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For instance, between the two, a 24v car runs faster than a 12v toy car. A 12v electric kids car runs only at 4mph while a 24v electric toy car runs faster.

Most 24 volt trolling motors are designed to use two 12 volt batteries that are wired together. You can follow the directions in the video below to make sure you are doing it right.

You will want to wire your batteries in series. This means connecting the positive pole of the first battery to the negative pole of the second and the negative pole of the first battery and the positive pole of the second to whatever it is you are trying to power.

This configuration gets you 24 total volts of electricity to effectively power your 24-volt trolling motor.

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Trolling Motor More Efficient?” width=”500″ height=”750″ /> Is a 24v Trolling Motor More Efficient?

Note that some newer and larger 24-volt trolling motors can run on a single 24-volt deep cell marine battery. These are not common among recreational anglers but they do exist.

Be sure to read the instructions that come with your particular trolling motor or to ask about its battery needs when you buy it.

Now you should have all the information you need to choose the right battery configuration for a trolling motor. You should also be able to run a trolling motor for maximum power and efficiency.