Electric technology is ready to go, so if you’re not thinking about making the switch, why?
In recent years, the electric revolution has taken the automotive industry by storm and is working its way into the boating industry even faster. Knowing that the switch can help you reduce your carbon footprint while still allowing you to enjoy the activity you love, the switch to an electric outboard is a no-brainer. And yet many people are still hesitating and going with new petrol instead of electric. Why, you ask?
We were wondering the exact same thing and so we've found your concerns so we can answer them. And it always comes down to three things: Can I still go as far as I want to? Is it safe? Is it expensive?
Range anxiety is a concern, and we get it. We're not used to the idea of recharging, but if you think about it it's no different to a fuel gauge. If you have a portable fuel tank, you have no idea how much petrol you have except by shaking it. Once you kept an eye on your tank and when it got a little low, you returned to shore and filled it up, now you watch your LED display, and when it says the battery is getting low, return to shore and recharge. Unlike petrol, electric outboards have a ‘limp’ mode which will get you back to shore.
And just like you can keep spare fuel on your boat you can keep spare batteries if you have far to go. And since every marina already has power on their docks and you have power at home, recharging is easy. So range anxiety be gone, because we know you've got this.
The short answer is yes. The long answer is f**k yes. We have the same safety oversights as a petrol outboard and must meet the same safety standards. However, we're much safer than your ICE Outboard. In fact, despite fears about battery fires (mostly they are cheap chargers on e-bikes, BTW), most boats now carry batteries. A sophisticated lithium-ion battery like the one we sell has a much lower ignition point than petrol, and a BMS to shut it down. Your current fuel tank doesn’t have that. And ours are in IP67 casings - the highest impact rating of 7 and water ingress of 6 - which means half an hour underwater - the biggest waves will not bother these babies!
So, do you want to sit on top of highly flammable fuels, or do you want to sit on some stable and very monitored batteries?
We're big on safety, so we've even added some extra features like our twist throttle handle, lanyard start, and switch-off, which means you can’t start the motor while the throttle is reversed. Also, with an instant take-off and no pull starts slowing you down if you are in trouble, we can get you out of a difficult situation faster - especially in the surf.
Yes and no. Electric requires more upfront investment, but once you have made it and you're no longer paying for petrol, the savings start to rack up quickly. Particularly if you're a serious and regular boater, it can get to the point that you're riding around for free. That's why we've partnered with HandyPay so you can pay off your electric outboard at the same rate you'd be buying petrol anyway. Plus, with fewer maintenance costs and less time loss, you can also save in other ways.
So are you ready to go further, be safer, and save money? Or do you have another concern we haven't yet heard? Let us know because we're always happy to answer any questions.
So contact us and let us help guide you through the process of making the switch to electric.
| 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! |
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.
What would it mean to make the planet the largest shareholder in a for-profit business like our electric outboard business?
What would we do differently and what would we continue?
Eclass Outboards already have put a lot of thought into how we can contribute to the circular economy.
If you can think of something else we can do to make the planet our largest shareholder, drop us a line!
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.
Creep up to a dock with a silent electric engine and say you are using magnetic fields and GPS to pull the boat along
Go to a petrol station and not fill up
Challenge a similar petrol outboard to a sprint with your electric outboard motor (you will win)
Pretend you have left the outboard pull start cord at home but know a way to get it going anyway
Let us know your best April Fools Day Prank? Contact us.