As we all try to make greener choices, one of the hardest things to reconcile is that we have to build new things to lower our carbon footprint, which increases our carbon footprint. We need new technology, but making new things is part of the problem. It's a catch-22. And it's one RePower Kits can help solve.
A RePower Kit revolves around the idea that your existing petrol casing, jet boat, jet ski, or traditional boat that you are used to operating can be just fine it just needs to be powered differently. So rather than getting rid of the whole boat or the whole outboard, you just change how it is powered. You can easily turn your boat into an electric boat and bring it into the 21st century.
So what we do is provide a fully packaged kit that can replace the current ICE (internal combustion engine) powerhead. You keep the rest of the boat/outboard as is. This switch is not only quick but will also save you time, maintenance, fuel, and money!
This means that all the carbon wasted in the manufacturing process of making a whole brand new boat or outboard, plus all the carbon that would have been wasted if your current boat or outboard ended up being discarded, is now saved, making repower kits the ultimate in greener choices.
When you make the switch to electric, you also reduce your noise pollution, stop leaving petrol trails in the water, and there's no more nasty petrol smell. The powerful torque and easy operation make for a much better boating experience.
But you do care about a great boating experience. Repower Kits also allow you to keep your current look. If you love the outboards, you have, awesome. Keep them. Just let us change what's inside. After the initial investment, you'll end up saving time and money.
So, whether you care about the earth or not, contact us and let us help you make the switch to electric.
We have electric outboards for sale, including a 10hp electric outboard motor and a 8hp outboard motor. And if you have questions about your batteries for electric boat motors then you need to talk to us. Choosing the right battery for electric outboard motor is not just about getting the right amount of oomph in you outboard enginge battery but also an ocean safe battery. And if you are here for the environment consider a second life battery with us.
Proud to be a Finalist in this year's innovation awards. Held by Industry Association AIMEX this award is seeking the most innovative marine products with the greatest export potential.
We entered our Electric RePower Kits. See what you think of our application below?
EClass has designed and offers the World’s first plug-and-play electric RePower Outboard Kits for conventional ICE outboard casings. With the following advantages for the scaling and adoption of electric powertrains.
• Reuse of expensive and carbon-rich components such as casings
• Use of off-the-shelf powertrain components
• Simple assembly of kits by medium to low-skilled labour
• Ability to scale more quickly with licensed manufacturing partnerships than proprietary electric competitors with entirely proprietary product/factory setup
• Pathway for thousands of marine mechanics worldwide to transition to electric with an ongoing maintenance income stream
• Use of widely available destination country casing and other components including propellers, gearbox etc.
• Consumer maintains a relationship with the current marine mechanic.
• Significant reduction in running costs compared to fuel.
• Battery agnostic as battery technology improves.
• Retrofitting into existing engine casing reduces upfront cost.
Australia’s only electric outboard R&D and commercialisation company EClass has retrofitted and built retail electric outboards since 2020, with over 12 years of R&D experience. For impact we considered our best contribution to scalability. Competitors either produce fully proprietary outboards or fit limited types of conventional casings - to scale would require proprietary factories and high retail prices, out of the reach of modest buyers or developing countries. Knowing there were thousands of marine mechanics available worldwide to retrofit. We turned our attention to:
o Unique ability to retrofit a variety of branded 2-stroke and 4-stroke engine casings (8hp to 60hp) with new electric motors creating a recycling economy that reduces waste and cost.
o Optimized powertrain and propeller selection for each Brand casing
o Ongoing compatibility with existing propellers, accessories, prop guards and forward controls, tilt and trim
o Engineered, documented and produced a variety of proprietary parts to retrofit to a wide variety of existing casings. Safety and retrofit training, mechanics assessment, maintenance manuals and other materials developed.
• Online marketing presence and have shown with AIMEX at SCRIBS. We have been approached by international boat builders, solar power/battery suppliers/marine mechanics and International Development/Aid Organisations who understand the potential.
• Two successful projects with RePowerKits, Senegal (see video) and a project for Sea Scouts in Australia. Phase 2 in Senegal is underway and discussions with the Pacific, Uganda, Portugal and UK.
We are the only company in the world offering electric RePOWER kits for outboards.
• Millions of polluting two-stroke motors available for conversion.
• No integrated electric product available for marine mechanics to convert.
• Global electric boat market - $5.0 billion in 2021
• Projected to $16.6 billion by 2031
• Growing at a CAGR of 12.9%
EClass is an R&D company with pilot sales. Innovation is our USP.
• Continuing to develop kits.
• Electric jet ski kit and electric turbo jet leg in prototype
• A trawler hybrid project
• we have worked with jetboats, hydroplaning boats, survey boats and other custom projects.
| We have just produced our first prototype of our electric Turbo Jet Outboard. This is Australia's first electric Turbo Jet Outboard. Turbo Jets or Jet Drives are invaluable for those wanting safe use where there will be swimmers in the water nearby - rescue, diving, fishing are some of the uses. And you are doing away with your propeller, so you minimize net or weed issues and allow you to go into shallower water than with a conventional propeller boat. The issue is that until now the solution has been to use a propeller guard, which is heavy and impacts the performance of the boat. Ron our innovator, who has a 40-year Surf Lifesaving Australia Service Medal says it is; "Like towing a milk crate behind you". The problem with earlier Jet drives and Turbo Jets is that in a petrol engine, the noise of them can be deafening. This is now solved by the super quiet electric motor with no exhaust. And the performance is amazing. So now you can get all the benefits of a turbojet drive without the downsides. This Eclass Electric Turbo Jet Drive Outboard will be available between 6kW and 18kW of propulsive power. We are starting sea trials soon so watch our YouTube Channel and socials for updates. Or if you are interested to be on the waitlist for this product email us to talk further. |
| Check it out! Go to our website and learn more. Marine Trade and Chandlery supply partnerships on request. See our Turbo Jet electric! |
| We love to see all the awesome new purpose-built electric boats coming onto the market. So, we at Eclass Outboards, Australian-Made Electric Outboards, look forward to the Gussies. Excellence in Electric Boat Design. The awards are named after Gustave Trouvé, the French inventor who devised a detachable electric motor propelling his prototype boat ‘Le Téléphone‘ along the Seine in 1874. It was the birth of the outboard motor. Although ICE outboards took over electric after 1910. Electric outboards are back! More than 100 boats from 21 countries and every continent except Antarctica entered ‘The Gussies’ this year. The awards are grouped by size of boat, in production or concept, DIY retrofitted, workboats, and electric sailing, and some of the winners included: Production Boat under 8m Faro 5 Faroboats | eBlue Boat • Portugal A full electric luxury boat from Faroboats and designed by Tomás Costa Lima, The Faro5 can be combined with its solar-powered docking station, turning it into a fully self-sustainable solution Concept Boat under 8m Aurora Sport Engenharia Lamarca • Brazil Will be made with recyclable materials and propelled with a 15kW permanent magnet electric motor and battery system Production Boats over 8m Candela 8 Candela • Sweden Designed to be the most efficient boat ever built. At 20 knots, the energy usage per nautical mile is just 0.8 kWh – the energy content of just 0.1 liter of gasoline. Electric Sailboats Sunreef 80 Eco Sunreef Yachts • Poland An eco-responsible luxury craft combining electric propulsion, superyacht living spaces, reliable sailing performance and the latest green technologies Electric Workboats SRAVNavalt Solar & Electric Boats • India The new SRAV solar-electric catamaran is empirically designed to revolutionize commercial fishing by minimising operational expenditure and increasing fishing profit margins substantially. Source including picture: PlugBoats (thanks for keeping us updated, PlugBoats!) |
| We can power your dream electric boat. Because we custom build from 4kW to 30kW plus, inboards, and outboards, we can build to your specifications. If you have a workboat, a racing boat, a new boat design, or just want to make the switch to electric on your existing boat- we are up for the challenge. Also, we can retrofit suitable outboard casings at a competitive price. Contact us to discuss your requirements. Or check out our electric outboard range |
With petrol and diesel prices continuing to rise, many boat owners are considering the switch to electric boating.
Most boat owners are not aware of how much they are really spending on fuel and maintenance - after all, you just fill up at the service station as you go or pay for a mechanical service or parts and don't realize how these costs add up.
What you may not have considered is that every hour of running in an ICE (internal combustion engine) outboard motor costs the same. Yes, every hour on the water at WOT (wide open throttle) costs the same or even more over time in petrol/oil spend. So you can see how over 10 years, the sums add up.
That's not the case in electric outboard motors.
Although there is an initial investment in batteries, Lithium batteries are expected to last up to 10 years.
An electric outboard motor or electric inboard motor battery only needs to be recharged.
An electric outboard motor's additional running costs will only be the price of electricity for recharging the batteries. If your mains or generator power comes from solar, that cost is pretty much zero. There is a lot to be said for solar boating!
Electric outboard motors also have very little maintenance - only the regular care you would take with your current outboard leg and casing. The powerhead is brushless (no touching parts) and the whole outboard only has a few moving parts. Unlike 2-stroke and more particularly 4-stroke outboards - which have very complex mechanics and electronics.
Over a ten-year period, you will save substantially. And if you use your boat more than once a week, then those savings are even greater. Great news for commercial boat owners or hire boat operators.
We have brochures with total lifecycle costs at 1-5 WOT trips per week for a wide range of outboard motors from 4kW (8hp) - to 30kW (60hp).
Contact us if you would like more information or a brochure.
Or check out our electric outboard range. All our electric outboards are made in Australia.
As two-stroke and four-stroke petrol outboards come to the end of their life. You don't have to throw them on the dump and contribute to the landfill, we can retrofit to convert it to an electric outboard, using a wide variety of castings up to 90hp.
That's the advantage of being manufacturers of electric outboards in Australia.
This has lots of advantages, including assisting those of you with hard-to-find extra long legs or other quirks. Or you just love your current outboard.
Some outboards we will only do retrofit - like our 12kW. Other kW models, you can choose to retrofit your own casing. The savings are considerable. Or you can buy a completely new outboard.
If your current outboard has forward control or electric (not hydraulic) tilt and trim, no problem, we can accommodate, as long as they are in good working order and you deliver it to us clean and without the powerhead.
Get in touch and we can give you a quote. Contact us on [email protected]
Or view our range here
This is the question we are most asked. And it's a tricky question for most people as they are used to HP engines and are not sure about what power they need in an electric engine.
In Australia, simply look on the boat builder’s compliance plate of your boat (or the boat you are intending to buy). It will state maximum kW or Horsepower HP allowed. It will also give maximum engine weight, passengers, and load. These are your top specifications. You can happily choose to have lower specification electric outboards, especially if you are not interested in top speeds or going on the plane.
And remember the HP to kW conversion formula is not very useful as electric boats have instant torque, while combustion engines need to get to 5/6000 rpm to develop their advertised HP. Happy to discuss this in relation to your boat if you contact us.
And because we build back from the propeller requirements, give us the propeller pitch and diameter and that will also tell us what kW's you need.
If you do not wish to obtain a boat license or register your boat, you can choose our 4kW electric outboard which we can program for your local speed regulations. Different locations have different rules so check yours.
See the full range here
We are proud to have been judged as finalists in two categories in these awards.
The 2022 Commercial Marine Project/Design or Manufacturer of the Year award identifies product manufacture, design, and shipbuilding within the Commercial Category in the Australian commercial marine sector.
The 2022 Marketing Strategy of the Year award acknowledges the success of an innovative and effective marketing strategy implemented between January 1 – and December 31, 2022
As Australia's only outboard manufacturer and only electric outboard manufacturer, we are working at the cutting edge of the marine industry in electric outboards, electric boats, and electric jet skis.
See the AIMEX Link to the Awards
One of the first questions people ask us is what horsepower does a kW engine equate to?
And often they have heard of the international hp to kW conversion formula. Which is 1kW = 1.34102209 hp
This is fine, in theory.
However, in practice, we find that calculation is not at all useful.
Why?
Because it doesn't take into account the instant torque. And the advantages of electric in the low to mid-range RPMs. The RPMs you actually need to get on the plane or get going - or dock for that matter.
So that's why we refer to propulsive power at the propeller as the important power equation. And why we comfortably say that whatever propellor the ëlectric outboard can drive, that's the hp equivalent.
So let us explain how this works.
In a combustion engine, the engine has to develop enough RPM (revs per minute) to reach idle speed. This usually occurs at around 1000 RPM, and you are in idle until that point.
Now you can get into gear and start to develop the advertised hp. But the fully advertised hp doesn't occur until the engine has reached around 5/6000 RPMs. So if you are at mid-range, you have not got all the hp of the engine available to you. An example would be a 40 hp outboard, which would only have around 25hp or less available at the low to mid-range of its RPMs.
Now electric outboards behave very differently. They have full power (instant torque) available from the first turn of the propeller. And a flat torque curve.
This power is important in planing boats, as you want to efficiently get out of the displacement hole and on the plane. Then you can reduce power (and amp draw).
In displacement boats, this instant torque gives you high torque at the low range RPMs - perfect for creating that momentum you need to get the boat traveling. The ideal for displacement boat efficiency is to use the biggest propeller you can, turning at the slowest rate.
So back to propulsive power.
When you are looking at electric outboards, we will ask you what propeller your current outboard turns (pitch and diameter). From there we can work out which is the right kW outboard for your boat. By the way all our outboards are made in Australia.
That's the prediction of a report from IDTechEx estimates that “the market for hybrid and pure electric boats and ships will rise rapidly to over $20 billion worldwide in 2027“.
While EClass Marine has been one of the first manufacturers, and still the only electric outboard manufacturer in Australia, the report says there are now more than 100 marine electric manufacturers worldwide.
These companies are working on everything from electric ferries and new hybrid container ships, to the small kW trolling motors now loved by fisherfolk.
The first electric ferry in the Southern Hemisphere (NZ) had its maiden voyage just last week.
And Outboard giants Mercury and Yamaha have unveiled their first fully electric concepts. Although these seem to be lower kW offerings and not available to the market as yet, it is a sign of the industry direction.
At EClass Marine we think that once the marketing might of the large manufacturers gets behind electric boats, a lot of the skepticism will wash away.
Having said that, there is a lot of work to do for the mainstream adoption of electric outboard motors. Buyers have battery range anxiety (interesting as it is no different from having a fuel gauge and planning your trip), are not used to paying upfront for batteries.
Also, not many manufacturers are producing the 20kW (40hp) and higher electric outboards so common on many craft. EClass has put a lot of work into this segment with our 20kW Ultra electric outboard engine
The report also indicated that access to parts may be a barrier to electric outboard motor adoption. That's why at EClass we are using tried and proven 2 stroke outboard casings. Any corresponding Yamaha part and accessory will fit. No waiting for a proprietary part to be shipped, and a competent marine technician should be able to install it. We have a 3-year warranty on our electric outboard engines for private use.
When I was young, my family bought a 26-foot powerboat. My happiest days were in that boat or exploring on my own in the tender (an Aluminum tinny). As I was only about 10 years old, I was not trusted with a petrol outboard motor but had to row everywhere.
Fast forward to around 15 years ago. I was the marketing manager for a Government program that aimed to reduce the carbon footprint of small businesses. I knew nothing about carbon abatement and had not thought about the environment in any practical sense. I soon found out that good environmental practice was good business. Companies which took action on carbon abatement were more profitable. I was convinced that these two outcomes were not mutually exclusive. Caring for the environment is good business.
So when the opportunity came to invest in an Australian electric outboard business that combined boating and a good environmental outcome I jumped at it. Eclass Outboards came into being.
Then I had the pleasure of actually boating with these electric outboard motors. I'm telling you there is no going back! What a great user experience. Low noise, no fumes, no pull starts - just push button and go. So easy to use.
With new battery developments daily and the ability to go off the grid boating, we think electric boating is on the cusp of a revolution.
Rechargeably Yours
Lynelle
This Pride Cheetah has a proud history as a race-winning boat. Now converted as a fully electric boat. With the recommended 40HP now being served by a 30kW Eclass Outboard and Lithium-Ion Batteries.