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.
Wow, this went well! We have now done our first sea trials of our prototype 6kW electric turbo Jet outboard and we were very happy with the performance.
We used a 4.3M Achilles inflatable with both one and two up and achieved a consistent 12 knots with one up.
This is very good as normally propeller guards reduce performance considerably and our aim is to maintain performance,
In fact, we did better consistent speeds than in a straight 6kW electric propeller outboard in the same boat.
We aim to now prototype the 10kW and 18kW versions. And before you say, 'Where do I get it!' we still have a bit of production work to go before we can give you a price and product - but should not be long!
In the meantime, check out the video on our YouTube Chanel - @electric-outboards
Or if you are interested in being on the waitlist for this product contact us to talk further.
| 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! |
The gorgeous 1962 Riva Tritone pictured above - which is the classic Mediterranean power boat (James Bond where are you?) has had an electric motor conversion thanks to The Lanéva electric boat company of Monaco joining with Riva restoration expert Bellini Nautica of Italy to replace internal combustion engines in vintage Riva boats with fully electric powertrains.
At Eclass Outboards we've done a vintage electric conversion ourselves. We believe our 1985 Pride Cheetah converted to electric power was the first all-electric speedboat in Australia.
You can see her running here. With a 20kW electric outboard
In the case of the 1962 Riva Tritone it originally had twin 177 HP V8 engines, replaced by Lanéva’s all-electric powertrain with 300 kW of power and battery capacity of 130kWh. This first project became the cornerstone of their electrification service.
To date Eclass Outboards have concentrated on conversions both inboard and outboards up to 40kW as the battery limitations, charging requirements and voltage requirements of higher kW make over 40kW an expensive and specialized undertaking.
However, up to 40kW we can comfortably run at 96v DC (ultra-low voltage and under safe let go) and batteries do not have to be specially cooled or need an expensive charging system.
Eclass has another advantage in the Vintage electric conversion space.
Because we retrofit into existing casings - and sell DIY electric repower kits for a wide range of outboard casings - you can often keep the look of your existing period-appropriate casings. All that changes is happening under the cowling and replacing fuel tanks with batteries.
And being an Australian marine electric manufacturing company we have electric outboards, electric inboards built here in Australia
If you have a vintage boat that needs a custom electric motor click through HERE to contact us
Credit for Image: PlugBoats.com
And you are a bit handy OR want to retrofit electric outboards for your customers
We've been working on this one for a while as we needed to get to a point where the DIY was simple to install
We have now packaged up the pre- programmed powerhead, connecting plates and all the battery connections, plus either a pre- programmed twist throttle or a forward control set - and a new cowling to upcycle your existing leg!
You'll love the price savings on a new electric outboard. An inventive Australian Made electric outboard solution
The only skills you'll need are:
Remove the old powerhead and clean
Bolt the new powerhead unit in with four secure points,
Attach the new controls (either new provided twist throttle or forward controls),
and plug it into a suitable battery - and you will be away!!
We now offer repower kits for the following
Other brands and configurations by application.
| 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 |
We also watched Tesla and other electric vehicle manufacturers go higher in voltage over the years. Tesla is now at 800v. And they get better run range from their batteries with higher voltages which was of interest to us.
It is our opinion that marine voltage will increase in years to come.
We actually started at 72v and then realized that 96v represented a sweet spot.
The engine performs better and 96v DC is safe for marine applications
96v DC is considered extra-low voltage in Australia which allows up to 120v in that category.
As we make electric outboards here in Australia. We adhere to Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules in building our engines, which are amongst the toughest standards in the world.
And we researched safe let-go voltage - and 96v was below a voltage where if you grabbed a live wire you could not let go.
So, electricity and water do mix!
See the full range of batteries here
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
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!
One of the biggest barriers to electric marine uptake is batteries.
Most people worry first about the range. The famous "range anxiety" is seen in EV's and now marine electric boats.
Well, the outboard range is only limited by the kWh of Lithium batteries in the boat with you.
Planning your electric boating trip is no different from having a petrol tank and gauge.
The second barrier is cost.
Electric boats usually need high discharge batteries, so basically Lithium or new generation solid-state like Graphene supercapacitors.
Unlike petrol engines, the battery investment is all upfront. Yes, it pays off over time compared to a petrol engine - big time! But you still have to invest upfront. It's like putting solar on your roof or a battery to power your house.
That's why we are so excited about our new association with an Australian battery manufacturer of 'second life' EV batteries. Extra excited, because we are Australia's only manufacturer of electric outboards and want to support Australian manufacturing.
These 'second life'' EV cells are tested and then custom built into new battery packs with new Battery Management Systems, monitoring systems and casings.
This has lots of advantages, but the main one is cost. These Australian made systems are very competitively priced. Especially for those of you who want to power that larger 20kW and 30kW plus outboards.
Suddenly a very realistic proposition. Especially if you want more batteries for a longer range and know how long your electric outboard will go.
You can see starting prices on some of our packaged deals such as the 20kW engine and 20kW battery and get in touch if you want to know more.
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 info@eclassoutboards.com.au
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
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.
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.
Including:
COVID safe QR code checking
Sanitizer available for hygiene and COVID safety
Contactless payment for product purchase
1.5m distancing for product demonstration
Product is wiped down after demonstration for hygiene and COVID safe practices
Mask friendly showroom
Online contactless inquiry and information
Staff sent home if unwell or showing COVID symptoms.
Our staff is fully vaccinated against COVID.
Eclass understands you want to keep yourself and your family safe and well. So we are taking every precaution as we want to see you out on the water enjoying an electric boat experience!
Contact us if you want to book an Eclass Electric Showroom demonstration of our electric outboard motors and Ecoflow Delta Max portable power stations.
For yachts, pontoon boats, picnic boats, houseboats and other displacement boats.
Equivalent to 10 hp
A lightweight but powerful electric outboard option for smaller displacement craft.
No one likes the noise and fumes of 10hp petrol outboards after a day of sailing, yachting, or picnic boating. Our 4kW HD electric outboard motor has been made in Australia especially for displacement boats. Lightweight at only 37kW it is easy to use with push-button starts and no maintenance. Stores anywhere as there is no fuel to spill. Ideal if you want to convert your boat into an electric boat.
Friday December 10, 2021. 3pm to 6pm
See EClass Outboards range of powerful electric
outboards 4kW to 30+kW (8hp to 40hp)
All our electric outboard motors are developed and made in Kiama, Australia. We've taken 10 years to design electric outboards for Australian conditions and make affordable electric boats possible
Also the revolutionary EcoFlow DELTA Max portable power
stations and solar for off-grid boating, camping, and
bushfire/emergency preparedness.
Light refreshments, just drop in.
Call Lynelle 0408 360 084
For more information about our products CLICK HERE
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.
We've just released Australia's first 30kW fully electric outboard. For those of you wondering about the power of these engines, instant torque and a flat torque curve means it has the propulsion power at the propeller you'd be looking at in a 40HP internal combustion engine (ICE). Operating cost savings over 10 years are pretty impressive as well. Contact us for a comparison sheet of costs of running 30kW electric vs petrol.