I had my unit fully repaired by the AU Torqeedo rep. The problem was a manufacturing issue, nothing caused by me. From drop off to repair returned was 4 days.
During a boat show i managed to see Torqeedo's new solar recharger in operation. The unit costs ~ $1500 AUD and on a day of 32C in full sun was giving a drive about 40w which would be enough to drive my loaded AI at maybe 2.5km/h. The rep stated the panel could survive repeated short term submersion but i was skeptical.
What was more interesting was that i got to play with their batteries. I managed to connect the Travel 1003 Battery to the Evolve V2 drive. This battery is a 520 Wh or 18 Ah unit and has 60% greater capacity than the battery that comes with the Evolve V2. It weighs 2kg more and all the connections plugged in and worked for both Evolve drive and controller. I also managed to pickup the battery and put it inside the front hatch of a 2012 Hobie AI to make sure it fitted. I have my Evolve V2 battery mounted in there in a custom built harness. The footprint of both batteries are the same so should fit in my harness. This battery is not cheap but if u want a longer range at higher speed this maybe a better upgrade on the Evolve V2, than buying another Evolve V2 battery. I also confirmed from Torqeedo this will not impact your Evolve V2 warranty.
I quizzed the local rep on prop options for the Evolve V2. I observed the Evolve V2 and Ultralight have different props, one is less curved, i suspect to fit in the mirage drive slot. Got confirmation they are different. I could not get an answer if it compromises efficiency. I learned there is no option to change the prop in an Evolve V2 drive unless u convert it to a Ultralight and even then the prop is very similiar. The weedless designs i learned are less efficient and only start for the Travel and Cruise models.
Lastly after 1 trip with the Evolve i convinced myself that I want my Mirage drive and Evolve v2 working together but i don't want to install the unit on my rudder and reduce its size and not be able to sail. My logic is that i need to take my mirage drive anyway as a backup so i might as well use it instead of it sitting on a tramp.
So i decided I am going to install the Evolve on my rear AKA on my AI and get hopefully the best of all. First i need to convert the drive from an Evolve to an UltraLight and then work out a mount option. I ordered the parts for the upgrade from Torqeedo. Just need to do the upgrade and mount. Will update later. Hopefully this info is of value to people.