Please help support my entry to the "Ideas for good" challenge sponsored by Toyota

I have another idea, but I can't submit it because I'm not a US resident. So, if someone else would like to submit this, please do.

I think Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive could and should be adapted for marine use. A sailboat's propeller could generate electricity while underway, and charge the batteries. When power is needed for docking or times of insufficient wind, the electric motor could power the propeller. Batteries could also power the boat's other systems, including light and possibly heat if there were enough battery capacity. All of this could be accomplished without the gasoline engine, using just the batteries, the generator, and the HSD. The prop would in effect be the 'wheels'. On a larger boat, the gas engine could be retained for backup. (Although gasoline's not the first choice for marine use, due to its volatility, but there's no reason the HSD couldn't be mated to a diesel.)

Sounds like a good idea to me. We could call it the Prius 'S' for Sail. What do you think? Anybody want to submit it to Toyota?

 

I don't see where an entry must be from a U.S. resident. I submitted your idea, so check it out online and get people to vote for it. If you win, or get recognition, I assume I contact you using PC's forum email.

 

I read the exclusion in the usual 'terms and conditions' thing that people usually click without reading.

Thanks. Let me know if 'we' win. I expect at least a working version with a lifetime guarantee.