Topic: Best electric outboard motors: 11 top options for zero-emissions propulsion (Read 34 times)
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Topic: Best electric outboard motors: 11 top options for zero-emissions propulsion (Read 34 times)
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Specs
Weight: 4.4kg
Power: 1kW / 3hp
Battery: 259kWh
Range: 5nm
Price: £1,250
If it’s light weight and value that you prioritise over cruising range, then this Norwegian option is hard to beat.
Launched in 2021, the Kicker boasts enough range and grunt to get one person from ship to shore and back again in calm conditions, as editor Hugo proved in a week-long test.
The only downside is that the battery isn’t removable, which can make charging a little more difficult.
Read more about the Thrustme Kicker
Specs
Weight: 15kg
Power: 1kW / 3hp
Battery: 740Wh
Range: Up to 1hr
Price: €2,850
A brand new option from France, the TEMO-1000 doesn’t look anything like a traditional outboard motor.
The design doesn’t have any rectangular box on top, just a rudder-shaped shaft with an electric motor at the bottom and a long slim battery that simply slides down into it, connecting automatically to your electric boat without having to plug wires into it.
The tiller arm does the same, meaning it disappears co*pletely when not in use and yet it is never detached and therefore never mislaid.
Specs
Weight: 16kg
Power: 1kW / 3hp
Battery: 1.03kWh
Range: 18nm
Price: £1,570
A top-of-the-range option from trolling motor stalwarts Haswing, the Ultimate 3 is suitable for boats up to 7m long.
The brushless DC motor produces 3hp (claimed to be equivalent to a 4hp petrol outboard motor), and it’s available in short and long shaft versions as well as the standard length.
Not only is the detachable battery unusually light at 5kg (lightest in class, according to the manufacturer), it also connects to the engine in a single simple operation without the need for connecting cables or other fiddly parts – no bad thing when you’re bobbing about in a tender!
Read more about the Haswing Ultima 3
Specs
Weight: 19.3kg
Power: 1kW / 3hp
Battery: 1,276Wh
Range: 22nm
Price: £1,600
The original Spirit 1.0 has actually been in production for six years with over 10,000 units built. Featuring a 1,000W brushless motor, this electric outboard motor is claimed to be equivalent to a 3hp petrol engine, ideal for tender duties or small to medium sized dinghies.
This Plus version, launched in 2020, is the same weight, size and power – the big gain is where it’s needed most, run time. It has been achieved by upgrading the battery from 1,018Wh to 1,276Wh.
At the same time, the power cord has been upgraded for durability and reliability, and the voltage has been changed from 40.7V to 48V, making it co*patible with an external 48V battery. The battery will even float if dropped overboard!
Read more about the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus
Specs
Weight: 55kg
Power: 3.7kW / 9.9hp
Battery: Sold separately
Range: Depends on battery
Price: £TBC
Announced in 2022 and tested on a 12m Venmar water taxi, the Yamaha Harmo electric boat drivetrain may be a rather modestly powered 3.7kW motor, equivalent to a 9.9hp petrol engine, but it is being seen as a major statement of intent from the Japanese brand synonymous with big, powerful four-stroke outboards.
Intriguingly, the Harmo is neither an outboard engine nor a sterndrive but a new propulsion package that borrows ideas from both camps.
It is mounted on the transom just above the waterline much like a sterndrive leg, but in keeping with the outboard engine ethos it’s an entirely self-contained unit that includes the motor and steering mechanism.
Read more about the Yamaha Harmo electric rim drive
Specs
Weight: 100kg
Power: 40kW / 55hp
Battery: 20-60kWh
Range: 100nm
Price: £28,000 (ex. battery)
The RAD40 drive from British start-up RAD Propulsion appears to be far more than just a conventional outboard leg with an electric motor bolted on top.
Every single element of it has been designed from the ground up to maximise the benefits of electric power. The result is a brand new drive system that is not only much cleaner, quieter and more efficient than a petrol outboard engine but also smaller, lighter, cheaper to maintain and even more manoeuvrable.
In its current 40kW guise (equivalent to around 55hp) it’s powerful enough to propel everything from a 25-knot planing RIB to a 10-knot displacement craft but with a larger 160hp RAD120 as well as a portable tiller steered RAD2 already in development, it’s clear that RAD Propulsion has its eyes set on a much wider market.
Read more about the RAD Propulsion RAD40 electric outboard
Specs
Weight: 580kg
Power: 110kW / 180hp
Battery: 70kWh
Range: 70nm
Price: $78,990
Launched in 2021 by Canadian firm Vision Marine Technologies, the E-Motion 180E looks like a genuine alternative to the 150-200hp petrol outboard motors that power the vast majority of 18-25ft sportsboats and RIBs.
The outboard engine itself weighs around 180kg, co*pared to 216kg for a 200hp V6 Mercury Verado, but that relatively modest saving pales into co*parison next to the 400kg weight of the 70kWh battery pack.
Admittedly, a fair chunk of that will be offset by the lack of fuel tank and starter batteries, but unlike a petrol boat, the battery pack’s weight stays constant whether full or close to empty.
Read more about the E-Motion 180E
The Evoy Storm looks, feels and goes like a well-matched petrol outboard engine
Specs
Weight: 350kg
Power: 222kW / 300hp
Battery: 2x 63kWh
Range: 25nm
Price: €144,700
Although currently still in development, the Evoy Storm is a working prototype that has already been fitted to a number of partner brands’ boats, including an Iguana amphibious craft and an Axopar 25 that we tested at last year’s Cannes Yachting Festival.
Despite a 450kg weight penalty over a fully fuelled petrol boat, and five passengers, we still recorded a top speed of over 50 knots – vastly quicker than any other electric boat we’ve tested and not far off the world speed record for a production electric boat of 57.7 knots (held by a Goldfish X9 powered by a 400hp Evoy inboard).
The anticipated price for this electric Axopar 25 is €185,000 (ex tax), which looks pretty good value given that the price of the motor alone is €74,900 plus another €69,800 for the batteries. Whether Axopar can maintain, or even reduce, that price once the Evoy Storm enters production in 2024 remains to be seen.
Read more about the Evoy Storm
If this seems like a lot of choice, there are even more options co*ing down the pipeline in 2024. MBY understands that several major outboard manufacturers are planning on entering the electric outboard market, so watch this space…
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