Electric boats are slowly coming to market from major manufacturers such as Bombadier but you can purchase electric inboards and outboards from a European manufacturer now – Torqeedo. The electrification of land vehicles such as electric car, pickup truck, and trucks is already in progress but few recognise that electric boats have also been slowly developing.
Evoy projects commercial operators will break even at about 350 hours of runtime a year – at least in Norway – using current fuel, electricity and maintenance costs.
Torqeedo
There are significant restrictions on operating combustion engines on Lake Starnberg in Germany. This led Gardena managers Dr Christoph Ballin and Dr Friedrich Böbel to consider electric boat propulsion. Instead of finding high-tech products and drive systems produced on an industrial scale, they discovered a market opportunity. They founded Torqeedo in 2004, when concepts such as clean tech and electromobility had not yet been coined. But it was already obvious electric motors would become increasingly important in the future due to global population growth, the growth of the middle classes around the world, limited oil reserves and efforts to limit global warming.
The limitation has been battery weight, energy density, and price and with the 97% drop in battery prices, electric propulsion has taken off. But Torqeedo has international distributors in most countries. Other manufacturers are starting.
- Outboard motors from 1hp to 80kW
- Inboard motors from 25kW to 100kW
- Pod drives 6-25
Bombardier Electric Boats and Powersports
The maker of Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo and Can-Am, Bombardier Recreational Products Inc (BRP) which is Canada’s world-leading powersports vehicle maker has said it will launch electric versions of all vehicle lines by 2026.
Calling it a move that’s been “in the making for years,” BRP says it will invest $300 million to electrify its product lines using in-house technology, with the first models ready for the market in 2023. BRP says it is going full throttle toward an electric future with a pledge to offer eight different, electrified models for each of its equipment lines.
We are talking about electrifying models of snowmobiles, personal watercraft, all-terrain vehicles, side-by-side vehicles, three-wheel on-road vehicles, fishing vehicles, pontoon boats and carts”
Bernard Guy, Senior Vice-President of Global Product Strategy, BRP Inc. (Electric Autononomy)
Other Manufacturers
There are many other manufacturers. China has a range of manufacturers. Expect more.
- High end catarmaras. See electric Silent 60, a $2+m boat (Electric article)
- China – especially low power trolling motors – see https://www.made-in-china.com/products-search/hot-china-products/Electric_Outboard_Motor.html
- ePropulsion electric outboards from China. Founded 2012. electric outboard and pod motors
- Yamaha
- GM
- Evoy – Norway, 90kW 150kW peak in 2018 see https://newatlas.com/marine/evoy-most-powerful-electric-outboard-motor/
