New ePropulsion eLite?

[dukeofted]

Sounds like a posh trolling motor to me. Good for distances and conditions that could be rowed but you either can't or are too lazy.

 

[MikeBz]

Rowing a small inflatable with 2 people in it is not easy - 2nd person has to sit on the floor in a puddle, or on a side tube which makes rowing nigh on impossible. Then add in a load of gear to make it even harder. 500Wh should be ample for a couple of miles of that.

 

[MikeBz]

I’ve just remembered that there was a thread discussing the comparison of engine hp outputs with electric motor kw outputs: Electric outboard

 

[dgadee]

Thrust figures at prop are what we need!

 

[mrming]

I’ve put a deposit on one. My usage is probably less than 10 times a year, short trips in a 2.4m tender with my other half and the kids. The weight and noise of our current Honda 2.3 is a pain, and I use it so little the servicing is starting to get on my nerves too.

 

[dgadee]

I’ve put a deposit on one. My usage is probably less than 10 times a year, short trips in a 2.4m tender with my other half and the kids. The weight and noise of our current Honda 2.3 is a pain, and I use it so little the servicing is starting to get on my nerves too.

I am near that level of usage for my Mariner 3.3 2 stroke. Keep us updated.

 

[MikeBz]

I’ve put a deposit on one. My usage is probably less than 10 times a year, short trips in a 2.4m tender with my other half and the kids. The weight and noise of our current Honda 2.3 is a pain, and I use it so little the servicing is starting to get on my nerves too.

I am near that level of usage for my Mariner 3.3 2 stroke. Keep us updated.

Yes, please do.

 

[nestawayboats]

Just to be clear, amongst other things, we (Nestaway Boats) sell ePropulsion, Torqeedo, TEMO and ThrustMe electric outboards.

Anyway sorry I'm late to the party on this. As a couple of previous posts mention, we have actually used an ePropulsion eLite ourselves. We were also somewhat involved in the concept/development of this product, based mainly on the finding that for many (not all) yacht tender users the larger ePropulsion Spirit PLUS (and rivals such as the Torqeedo 1103) are actually more than the customer needs/wants. If you just use your tender to go to the pub and back, take the dog ashore etc, and can charge on board fairly regularly, then something that's lighter, more compact (easier to stow) and cheaper might be a better bet. And ePropulsion were not the first to think this, other manufacturers such as ThrustMe and TEMO already have offerings in the "sub 1kW" class.

The ePropulsion eLite key specifications:
- power 500W with 750W "boost mode"
- battery capacity 378Wh (integral to shaft)
- Weight shaft (inc battery) 6.5kg, plus clamp bracket (from which it's one-click removable) about 1kg
- tiller operated twist grip for power and F-N-R
- daylight visible display on top, angled so that driver can see it, showing battery capacity, current power output etc

Re power, anyone who's actually used (rather than conjectured) an electric outboard on a typical inflatable dinghy knows there's not much difference between 500W and 1000W. 500W gets it well up towards hull speed (say 4-4.5 knots, depends on boat, load etc) but 1000W isn't enough to get on the plane so increases speed by half a knot at most (whilst halving the run time). Many customers report that they typically run around at 400W-ish, as the best compromise between speed and range. So 500W is enough for a lot of people, and the eLite has 750W available if you need it. The time that boost mode is available depends on how happy the battery is (ie not too hot or cold or flat).

Re battery capacity, 378Wh was actually quite a lot for an electric outboard not that many years ago! I can remember early Torqeedo outboards with 250Wh. Anyway if you run the eLite at 378W then it will last an hour and on a typical dinghy (again, there are many factors such as load, hull shape, trim etc) that's going to be 3.5 to 4 knots. Let's be pessimistic and fill to capacity a really short and fat dinghy, you'll still get at least 3 knots, so the range is still at least 3 nautical miles. Which is quite a long way in a dinghy. More if you run it slower or on a less inefficient hull, less if you run it flat out (but it will still run for 45mins at 500W). The eLite's 378Wh is 30-40% more than its obvious rivals in the lightweight class.

Re weight at 7.5kg total the whole eLite is quite significantly lighter than a Spirit PLUS battery. The "pass up and down weight" is actually 6.5kg because the shaft removes from the clamp bracket. That is a one-handed lift for most reasonably fit adults. It is far lighter than any petrol outboard and you don't have to worry about which way up it is (there's nothing to leak out) when passing it around. It's not the lightest in the sub 1kW class but that's mainly because it has more battery than the lighter ones. It also feels very well built, they haven't cut every last corner to save weight. 6.5kg is really not very heavy.

For a lot of yacht tender users we think the ePropulsion eLite is a very good product and enough people think the same that the first batch into UK sold out before most people had even seen one.

If you want/need to undertake longer/faster journeys in your tender the eLite is probably not the right product, but there are plenty of electric outboards above it in terms of power, battery capacity, size, weight and price.

To be clear yes I am saying that 400-500W - or 0.7hp if you insist on converting it, but the conversion isn't really useful at this level because of the different (torque) delivery characteristics of petrol vs electric motors - is enough to drive most yacht tenders at harbour legal speeds, doing the jobs a very large percentage of yacht tenders do. Because it is enough. I have used one, including on the alarmingly-fast-flowing local river in January. But no it is not enough to drive your 3.5m RIB around a Caribbean anchorage at 20 knots, if that's what you need. No it won't make any progress driving your dinghy against a 7 knot tide, but nor will a 2.5hp petrol outboard unless the dinghy is so lightly loaded (ie 1 small person) that it will plane on 2.5hp.

Ian, Nestaway Boats Ltd

 

[Boathook]

Having purchased an ePropulsion spirit from Ian last year, 400 to 500 watts gives a reasonable speed in my Tinker foldaway dinghy. Increasing the power does increase speed but only by a knot maximum, and you watch the battery drain very quickly. All this either by myself or 2 up.
I haven't yet tried the dinghy fully loaded (4 or 5 five adults) but would expect to use a bit more power to keep the speed up.

So far, I have found the range perfectly adequate but it is the charging that is a concern as my boat only has an outboard with limited electrical output. I do have a portable solar panel to top the battery up but it isn't the same as full blown mains charger.

 

[dgadee]

Ian of Nestaway, what about charging tines, options?

 

[nestawayboats]

Ian of Nestaway, what about charging tines, options?

The ePropulsion eLite is supplied with a 110W (output) mains (110-240V) charger as standard. The official website says 3hrs to charge from flat but that must include some "slightly optimistic rounding down" as the battery capacity is 378Wh. And as always the first and last few percent take a bit longer than the bit between 5-95%... but if you said "about 4 hours if it's nearly flat when you plug it in", that's about right. Or, "you can put about 50% back in if you take it to the pub with you and have a half decent lunch" (it's only 6.5kg and is supplied with a carry bag)!

There will also be a 12V DC (cigar lighter) charger available as an option, but those weren't ready for the first batch (into UK anyway). We don't know the specification for those yet but I have been told that it will be "slower than mains but not double the time". Less than 8hrs on 12V then. Sorry I can't be more specific yet.

As with the Spirit, if you're charging on board 12V will be slower but more efficient than using the mains charger through an inverter (because of inverter/charger losses converting DC to AC and back again). If it's completely flat, and allowing for some losses, recharging an eLite battery will use in the order of 35-40Ah of your 12V battery bank. Irrelevant if you're plugged into shore power but enough to merit consideration if you're not (depending on how big your battery bank is).

With a battery capacity of 378Wh I think you're probably looking at charging your eLite on board most nights, if you've used it that day. As per my previous post 378Wh does a surprising amount, but a few trips of a few hundred yards soon adds up.

Ian, Nestaway Boats

 

[Plum]

Just to be clear, amongst other things, we (Nestaway Boats) sell ePropulsion, Torqeedo, TEMO and ThrustMe electric outboards.

Anyway sorry I'm late to the party on this. As a couple of previous posts mention, we have actually used an ePropulsion eLite ourselves. We were also somewhat involved in the concept/development of this product, based mainly on the finding that for many (not all) yacht tender users the larger ePropulsion Spirit PLUS (and rivals such as the Torqeedo 1103) are actually more than the customer needs/wants. If you just use your tender to go to the pub and back, take the dog ashore etc, and can charge on board fairly regularly, then something that's lighter, more compact (easier to stow) and cheaper might be a better bet. And ePropulsion were not the first to think this, other manufacturers such as ThrustMe and TEMO already have offerings in the "sub 1kW" class.

The ePropulsion eLite key specifications:
- power 500W with 750W "boost mode"
- battery capacity 378Wh (integral to shaft)
- Weight shaft (inc battery) 6.5kg, plus clamp bracket (from which it's one-click removable) about 1kg
- tiller operated twist grip for power and F-N-R
- daylight visible display on top, angled so that driver can see it, showing battery capacity, current power output etc

Re power, anyone who's actually used (rather than conjectured) an electric outboard on a typical inflatable dinghy knows there's not much difference between 500W and 1000W. 500W gets it well up towards hull speed (say 4-4.5 knots, depends on boat, load etc) but 1000W isn't enough to get on the plane so increases speed by half a knot at most (whilst halving the run time). Many customers report that they typically run around at 400W-ish, as the best compromise between speed and range. So 500W is enough for a lot of people, and the eLite has 750W available if you need it. The time that boost mode is available depends on how happy the battery is (ie not too hot or cold or flat).

Re battery capacity, 378Wh was actually quite a lot for an electric outboard not that many years ago! I can remember early Torqeedo outboards with 250Wh. Anyway if you run the eLite at 378W then it will last an hour and on a typical dinghy (again, there are many factors such as load, hull shape, trim etc) that's going to be 3.5 to 4 knots. Let's be pessimistic and fill to capacity a really short and fat dinghy, you'll still get at least 3 knots, so the range is still at least 3 nautical miles. Which is quite a long way in a dinghy. More if you run it slower or on a less inefficient hull, less if you run it flat out (but it will still run for 45mins at 500W). The eLite's 378Wh is 30-40% more than its obvious rivals in the lightweight class.

Re weight at 7.5kg total the whole eLite is quite significantly lighter than a Spirit PLUS battery. The "pass up and down weight" is actually 6.5kg because the shaft removes from the clamp bracket. That is a one-handed lift for most reasonably fit adults. It is far lighter than any petrol outboard and you don't have to worry about which way up it is (there's nothing to leak out) when passing it around. It's not the lightest in the sub 1kW class but that's mainly because it has more battery than the lighter ones. It also feels very well built, they haven't cut every last corner to save weight. 6.5kg is really not very heavy.

For a lot of yacht tender users we think the ePropulsion eLite is a very good product and enough people think the same that the first batch into UK sold out before most people had even seen one.

If you want/need to undertake longer/faster journeys in your tender the eLite is probably not the right product, but there are plenty of electric outboards above it in terms of power, battery capacity, size, weight and price.

To be clear yes I am saying that 400-500W - or 0.7hp if you insist on converting it, but the conversion isn't really useful at this level because of the different (torque) delivery characteristics of petrol vs electric motors - is enough to drive most yacht tenders at harbour legal speeds, doing the jobs a very large percentage of yacht tenders do. Because it is enough. I have used one, including on the alarmingly-fast-flowing local river in January. But no it is not enough to drive your 3.5m RIB around a Caribbean anchorage at 20 knots, if that's what you need. No it won't make any progress driving your dinghy against a 7 knot tide, but nor will a 2.5hp petrol outboard unless the dinghy is so lightly loaded (ie 1 small person) that it will plane on 2.5hp.

Ian, Nestaway Boats Ltd

That is really helpfull. Thank you. This is a good example of someone declaring they are in business, not advertising on this forum, but helping everyone to understand the products.

 

[mrming]

Mine arrived today! Might get a chance to test it out tomorrow perhaps.

 

[mrming]

Had a quick spin today. Bear in mind I have never used an electric outboard before.

• It’s genuinely light.
• The separate transom bracket is a great idea - makes it much more convenient to ship / unship
• Usability is fine - no issues. The magnetic kill switch is neat.
• The shoulder bag it comes with is for the engine itself, I had to find another (very) small bag for the charger and bracket.
• We were two adults in a 2.5m inflatable with a blow up floor / v keel.
• Range is straightforward as explained by Ian above. We went for 35 mins at 500w and had 34% battery left at the end.
• I would like a DC charger so I can charge it without shore power, other than that it’s a well made, well priced (imo) product that does what it claims to do.

Service from Ian / Nestaway boats was excellent.

 

[snowbird30ds]

I have to say I found nestaway boats very helpful when I was looking at leccy outboards as I could actually handle the different options side by side instead of just relying on figures, unfortunately for Ian I didn't get the van run I was hoping for a week later so ended up with an epropulsion spirit plus from a more local to me importer which I am quite chuffed with.

 

[MikeBz]

• Range is straightforward as explained by Ian above. We went for 35 mins at 500w and had 34% battery left at the end.

How was the performance at say 250-300W - would you be happy using it at that level?

 

[mrming]

How was the performance at say 250-300W - would you be happy using it at that level?

I think you would make progress albeit no danger of neck injury. Next time I’m going to try running at 350W as that should give just over an hour. I’ll aim to measure the speed of the boat too.

 

[nestawayboats]

"no danger of neck injury"!

No... but 350W is still quite a lot more than a pair of human arms (rowing), especially when you're talking about sustaining it for over an hour, and a direct-drive electric motor turning a propeller is quite an efficient way of transferring it into forward motion. Plus with an outboard you're facing the right way, so will probably go in a straight line...

Ian, Nestaway Boats Ltd

 

[Helidan]

I was made aware of this new outboard not that long ago. Considering the price its main competitor would be the thrustme Kicker which isn't a bad outboard if used within its limits but does have some serious quality issues (the motor corroding mostly). There is definitely a market for lightweight and easy to use electric outboards and if the new epropulsion proves to be durable I think they may have a winner here. For most people it will have more than enough power for the trips out and back to the moorings and can be easily recharged onboard if necessary.

 

[Helidan]

"no danger of neck injury"!

No... but 350W is still quite a lot more than a pair of human arms (rowing), especially when you're talking about sustaining it for over an hour, and a direct-drive electric motor turning a propeller is quite an efficient way of transferring it into forward motion. Plus with an outboard you're facing the right way, so will probably go in a straight line...

Ian, Nestaway Boats Ltd

Is the motor a fully sealed design or is it more like the thrustme kicker (brushless outrunner which floods with water)?