Electric Outboards...They May Be Closer Than You Think

Tesla-powered EV marine 350-hp
electric o/b by Hyper Electric Marine

"The idea of 'going electric' is a popular trend in many sectors today, and a number of companies are pursuing just that when it comes to boating." Seein' as how that word already was on the street in 2018, you might want to keep your eyes and ears open to what else some manufacturers are saying.

Among those leading this charge is Torqueedo, a German company that specializes in alternative propulsion systems, including electric outboards, electric inboards, electric pod drives and hybrids. This company already has introduced an 80-hp engine. Further, ReGen Nautic say they have a 300-hp model on the way, along with a 38-foot Cigarette go-fast boat packing 2,200 electric horsepower.

Meanwhile, Volvo Penta, a world-renowned brand, is developing hybrid solutions with electric-only modes. Volvo expects to see their technology commercially available this year. The hybrid variant will operate with zero emissions, including lower noise and reduced costs. The hybrid system is currently in beta development.

While these companies (and others) continue to develop electric and hybrid-based propulsion systems, advances in this area will be helped by improvements in battery technology by companies such as Tesla and Panasonic, as well as improved infrastructure (e.g., charging stations at marinas). (See video of pictured motor at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DD4BeAU32o).

Additionally, other advances in marine propulsion and environment technology may find their way into smaller watercraft. Here are some more examples of innovation that eventually may find its way into recreational boating.

Maersk, a Danish shipping conglomerate, is outfitting their tankers with rotor sails to save fuel costs by up to 10 percent. Rotor sails rely on the magnus effect (a spinning object moving through air experiences a sideways moving effect). Maersk is outfitting vessels with 10-story-high cylinders turned by small engines to help power the tanker, using the magnus effect.

Eco Marine Power is a Japan-based company that develops solutions for wind and power on tankers, yachts and other large vessels. Products already available are solar-powered systems with integrated computer management and solar-panel systems that can be adapted for a range of ships and boats. The company also sells a full line of marine battery packs.

So, with all these electric engines already in existence, what seems to be the problem? The cost. Some are quite pricey. The motor alone is not much more than a gasoline-powered outboard of equivalent size when adding in the savings from fuel costs. The 180-hp ReGen, for example, lists at about $25, 500, compared to a 175-hp Yamaha four-stroke, which will run about $17,000.

The real problem lies in the batteries. To jam-pack enough juice into a boat to feed a primary propulsion system for more than a few minutes, that boat needs to be loaded down with batteries...and not just your garden-variety deep-cycle batteries, either. We're talking about very expensive cutting-edge lithium-ion power cells.

That 80-hp Torqeedo, for example, equipped with four Power 26-104 LNMC batteries, will give you a "full fuel tank" at 10,740 watt-hours...enough to run an hour at full tilt, or two to three hours at about 3/4 throttle. After adding in the costs of chargers and controls, you'll be talking nearly $100,000 on the power system, and that doesn't include the cost of the boat.

Now let's look at the long-term economic view, as compared to a gas-burner in the 70- to 80-hp range. The gasoline outboard will cost you less than $10,000. Figure gas at three bucks a gallon--high for now, but in the future, who knows--and you'd have to use 30,000 gallons before the electric rig would so much as break even. That's why electric engines aren't very appealing.

This brings us to another problem: the weight of putting all that battery power aboard a boat, where space already is at a premium on several different kinds. That Cigarette boat, for example, is stuffed with batteries...to the tune of two tons. Yet that reportedly gives the boat a whopping 30 minutes at 70 mph, with "a few blasts" up to 110 mph...not exactly what you'd hope for from a "full fuel tank."

In short, until a power pack is developed that radically is better than even the best of the lithium-ions available today, using an outboard for primary propulsion on a boat will mean a radical loss of range and an epic jump in price. The bottom line: Unless you're wealthy, at least for the time being, running an all-electric boat is not a realistic option.

"What about hybrids?" you may ask. They seem to work pretty well on dry land, and cars like the Toyota Prius have proven that hybrid technology is cost-effective, right? No, boats are just too different from cars for the effective adoption of hybrid technology, in large part because they can't enjoy the benefit of regenerative braking. Plus, you can't coast after getting up to speed. The entire concept of hybrid energy on a boat doesn't make much sense at all. The dynamics of moving over a solid surface versus moving through a liquid are simply too different.

If going all-electric is beyond our current ability, are there other options? Yes, Lehr has proven that propane is a viable option, with its line of 2.5- to 25-hp outboards. And an outfit called BlueGas Marine has modified a pair of 275-hp Mercury Verados to run on natural gas and claims zero performance penalties. But truth be told, despite all the hype over alternative power sources, if you plan to run a powerboat with anything over a handful of horsepower, at least for the foreseeable future, it'll likely be powered by a gasoline outboard.