Epropulsion electric outboard

[Christian Williams]

Epropulsion had a local demo this weekend. It's a competitor to the Torqueedo Travel that I have.

It appears to have more range, maybe 1.5 hours vs. 1 hour for the Torqueedo (WOT). The battery charges faster (about 8 hours vs. 10-12 hours). It's a little bigger (battery size and battery flotation). The price is probably more or less similar. Chinese manufacture, the reps said.

On a run stand, in air, not water, it sounded quieter than my Torqueedo, which has gear sound.

It's heavier, 37 vs. 44 pounds. That's a fair difference, and depends on battery size. But since the outboard and the battery are usually mounted on a dinghy separately--meaning easier to do when an inflatable is bouncing alongside--probably doesn't matter much.

I can't vouch for it, but it was my first look and if in the market I'd do serious comparison. There are several demos or "reviews" on YouTube.

ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus - 3Hp Electric Outboard Motor + Battery

The ePropulsion SPIRIT 1.0 Plus is quickly taking over the electric outboard market. With it's quiet, efficient performance, and low maintenance ease of use, it's easy to understand why. This 3 HP equivalent electric outboard will power small watercraft with ease, without the fumes, noise, and...

newportvessels.com

 

[dhill]

I purchased the extra short shaft version of ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus a few months ago after comparing the two. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but I'm looking forward to see how well it propels my 8.5 ft Avon fiberglass-bottom dinghy this summer. I also purchased the carrying bag and the MPPT solar charger, which I can use with my 350w panels. The battery did charge in about 8 hours plugged into the wall.

I thought about purchasing the Spirit 1.0 Evo, but I'm not planning to tow the dinghy with the outboard to take advantage of the hydrogeneration feature. It is unclear how much charging you actually get via that method and the Evo is more expensive.

The Torqueedos have been updated to direct drive, so the gear noise should be gone, making them virtually silent as well. The Torqueedo also has built-in GPS, unlike the ePropulsion, to display speed over ground. The GPS feature interfaces with a smartphone app (TorqTrac) via Bluetooth which acts as a chartplotter. The larger battery capacity with the ePropulsion was the tipping point for me and I didn't feel I needed the chartplotter feature (I have a pocket Garmin GPS already).

I follow the Sailing Soulianis YouTube channel (Tartan 37) and they purchased the ePropulsion and seem to like it. I'll let you know how we like the ePropulsion once I get back out on the water, probably in May.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Teranodon]

I used mine last sailing season, and was very pleased. But I'm not one of these guys that likes to charge around an anchorage, planing all the way. The only issue is charging from the boat's 12V system: it takes a long time and one needs to be careful. Basically, you could discharge an entire 100Ah battery into it, inadvertently. So it needs to be done when motoring only. Charging dockside works fine.