Torqeedo Electric Outboard

I like the idea, there was a favourable review recently in one of the mags. The big question is how do you charge them when you do not have access to 240v ?
 
I'm thinking out one in the context of long distance sailing, where you are only perhaps only 1-2% of the time getting into and out of places, so perhaps a decent sized solar panel, towed water gen, and perhaps the next generation of this type of outboard which might include a built in charged from being towed in the water might be sufficient. The biggest question mark for me is whether the quoted 6HP is really equivalent to a petrol outboard of quoted 6HP....
 
I cannot get the link to work but if that is to the Torqeedo 2 which is the one they claim has the thrust of a 6hp then look very closely at the details.
They don't claim it is 6hp, my guess is that it is 2 hp otherwise why call it a Torqeedo 2

Firstly it's 24 volt, you'll need two 12volt batteries that you can put in parallel if your boat is 12v for charging.

The ranges quoted are at very low speeds. 3km/hr is only 1.6kn. and they don't actually specify the units in which they are quoting the range. Minutes, I suggest, not hours or km

The max speeds are around 5.2 kn in the examples but they do not specify the current drawn.

Remember 1 hp is 746watts so 2 hp is 1492 watts. That's a current drain of 62 amps at 24 volts which will run a 220Ah battery flat in under 3.5 hours. Usable life would probably be about half of that at full speed.

If the thing was 6hp then it would draw about 190amps and would give a usable battery life of nearer 0.5 hour.

(remember 2 12volt 220Ah batteries in series don't give you 440Ah, its still only 220Ah, but its 440 Ah when you connect them in parallel to recharge from a 12 volt system

My guess is that it is not going to perform like a 6hp engine, it would have to be the equivalent of 6hp or 4.5 kw to do that. They are confusing you by claiming that it has the same static pull as a 6hp.

Only consider one if you want to travel slowly and silently, are prepared to hump 2 very heavy 220Ah batteries around and have the capability of recharging 440Ah.

Two gallons of petrol will probably run a 6hp 2 stoke engine for 4 hours at a moderate speed and only weigh about 15lbs. A 4 stroke will run for even longer.
 
I had a long chat with a German chap at Excel a couple of years ago, they did the testing on a small keelboat out of Kiel and I gathered that the "6hp" sort of claim is more like "it pushes this boat as well as a 6hp diesel". I thought that even the outboard could be plugged into a lead acid (ship's battery) as well.

I still think they exaggerate a bit (they would, though, wouldn't they?) but I agree with him you can't really compare hp like for like. 6hp on a diesel or outboard refers to the maximum power output, however that is measured. I for one don't run around with the throttle wide open all the time, or indeed hardly ever, so only using 1/2 or 1/3 of that would not be a problem, really. Also, electric motors seem to have more torque speeds other than max. (Torqeedo make a big thing about their propeller design). That said, I agree with you about them using unrealistically low speeds to achieve good looking endurance figures, especially for the lithium powered outboard.
Finally, I thought I knew about electrics, a bit, but the Torqeedo is an AC motor which is infinitely more efficient than a DC motor of the same power rating. There was a good comparison test on electric outboards in PBO last year.

It all depends on what you want to use it for. I use a DC motor to get my dinghy out to the mooring. The down side is carrying a lead acid battery around. The Torqeedo would be a huge improvement: lighter for the same battery capacity and more powerful. It could also be plugged into the main battery and push Evadne along for an hour or so when the diesel decides to sulk. At about £1000, though, it is still a long way down the "must get" list.

It would not do as a replacement main power unit for a 4 ton boat: the battery bank would have to be huge, either half a ton of lead acids or several thousands of pounds worth of lithiums and/or fuel cells to give a usable range. Even then you'd probably still need a diesel genny.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hopefully this link works better:

[/ QUOTE ] Yes and that is the motor I had found so no further comments.
 
I have one. I like the fact I can move around silently! and battery life / charging isnt a big deal for me (just a Solent potterer). I have a 2.5 hp 4 stroke as well and I'd say it was pretty comparable in terms of power. Amazing torque........and a fun object. Not worth the £1000 of course but generally well made and fun to use.
 
Hi all

I work for Torqeedo in the UK. I just want to clarify the reason the Torqeedo Cruise 2.0 is called that is not because it is equivalent to a 2hp petrol outboard, it is because it has a 2.0KW ac motor in it. The motor does indeed give the thrust equivalent of a 6hp petrol outboard.
The other motors in the range, the Travel 801, which has the integral lithium manganese battery, is equivalent in thrust to a 2 hp petrol.
If anybody is interested in either purchasing a Torqeedo motor, has any questions, or would maybe like to try one then please either e mail me at john.arnold@torqeedo.com or call me on 01502516224
 
[ QUOTE ]
it has a 2.0KW ac motor in it

[/ QUOTE ] That's logical but it is only equivalent to a touch less than 2¾ hp, Thrust, whenever I have seen it quoted has meant static pull. That will be as much a function of propeller size as it is of power.

Having said that though a 2hp engine is enough to propel a small dinghy. Many of us are happily using Seagull Feartherweight engines which are rated as only 1-2 hp. The advantage of a small petrol engine is that it will run at full throttle for a couple of hours, considerably more if it is a 4 stroke, on a gallon of fuel but a 2 kw electric motor will run a whopping 24v 220Ah battery flat in about 2½ hours The original question was "Do they actually perform as suggested, like a 6hp outboard" I put it to you the answer is, "No". They perform like a 2¾hp outboard with a fine pitch propeller.

I have a 6hp outboard on a small sailing boat. It will take me from one end of the Solent to the other against a bit of foul tide if necessary and into Chichester harbour against the ebb if required easily on a tank of fuel.

The link in the original question gives a range of 158 at 3km/ hour when used with a small sailing boat on a 24v 220Ah battery The units of the range are not quoted. It cannot be hours or km and is hopefully not metres so I deduce that it must be minutes. That's only a bit more than 2½ hours at a the snails pace of about 1.6 kn. So my trip up the Solent and up to my mooring in Chichester will take about 15½ hours and will need a battery capacity in excess of 1300ah at 24 volt. That'll be a bit more than 12 12volt 220Ah batteries. (I think the weight will have sunk my boat before we started out!)

The electric outboards may have some limited uses but a substitute for a 6hp petrol powered outboard is not one of them.
 
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