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.
If you are curious about seeing an electric outboard come to the SHASA Electric Vehicle Expo next Saturday, 1st October Long Weekend.
We will be there with Australia's first electric speed boat, a selection of serious and powerful kW outboard motors, Lithium Ion batteries, and a solar charging station for solar boating.
We love talking about electric boats and retrofitting your existing outboard or inboard to electric motors. Or showing what's possible with a new electric outboard.
See the SHASA organisers website here
EClass Outboards are starting to get heaps of inquiries about retrofitting houseboats with electric outboards. It makes sense. Houseboats and pontoon boats are displacement boats - so they have less amp draw- as they are not trying to get the boat out of the displacement hole and once moving can use their own momentum. Having said that they do require a fair amount of propulsive power (torque) as they need to create that momentum. EClass Outboards can not only provide that propulsive power you need - from our 4kW HD electric outboard, equivalent to an 8hp outboard engine for smaller houseboats and pontoon boats) to our 30kW electric outboard, which will match or better a 40hp petrol outboard. E Class Outboards also have a range of propellers we can fit to our engines - to get that power vs amp draw exactly right for your boat.
Houseboats and Pontoon boats also have heaps of room onboard for Lithium-Ion batteries, and usually have a fair bit of roof real estate for solar. This is an area where petrol outboards cannot follow electric outboard motors. Solar charging of our Lithium-Ion batteries is possible with the right solar setup.
Imagine coming aboard for a weekend on your houseboat and the batteries are charged and ready to go!
As Australia's only manufacturer of electric outboard motors, we have the expertise to turn your houseboat into an electric boat. And you will reap the rewards of a quiet, low-maintenance system that does not pollute the waterways you love to be on.
See our electric outboard range
Contact us to discuss electrifying your houseboat or pontoon boat