ePropulsion X Series electric outboards: first look

Jake Kavanagh reports on these new easy DIY ‘plug and play’ electric motors from ePropulsion

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As a specialist in submerged electric drives, ePropulsion has now launched its three new ePropulsion X Series outboards.

The new motors have been aimed at the mid-range sector, one that has proved the most challenging in terms of performance and range.

Currently, you can either go fast or far – but not both – unless you mount the boat on foils. Batteries simply get prohibitively expensive the more you push the performance envelope, whereas a combustion engine simply needs a bigger tank.

ePropulsion has addressed these issues with its own batteries, advanced energy management software, plug-and-play connections, and a new electric steering system, helping to close the gap.

The three new ePropulsion X Series motors are the X12, X20 and X40.

The X20 and X12 electric engine models, part of the ePropulsion X series

The X20 and X12 models

The numbers refer to the output in kilowatts, which, when multiplied by 1.3 gives roughly equivalent horsepower, so 15.6hp, 26hp, and 52hp respectively.

The company has a fascination with efficiency, so the sealed BLDC (brushless, direct current) motors have a minimum service life of 5,000 hours (around 100 years of average boating), a choice of swept, 5-bladed composite propeller, and a 10,240Wh/96V battery.

What really sets these ‘narrow footprint’ motors apart, though, is the integrated power steering, something of a first in this sector.

This is enabled by ePropulsion’s Smart System Architecture (eSSA).

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Installation is easy, as there are no hydraulic rams or heavy-duty steering cables involved.

All connections are plug-and-play, including a data cable from the wheel to the motor.

The steering can also act as an integrated autopilot, with a position-holding function.

A diagram showing how the ePropulsion x series connects to a boat engine

The motors are built as a ‘connected’ system with the ability to absorb renewable energy from wind, solar and hydrogenation.

ePropulsion has always been interested in harnessing renewables, so the G102 -100 lithium-iron phosphate battery module offers several ports for additional connectivity.

This allows the electrical system to be expanded with options such as a solar charge controller, as well as a smart throttle, smart display (5in or 10in), and a DC-DC converter.

Up to eight battery modules can be linked in parallel in one cluster.

Keeping an eye on everything is ePropulsion’s built-in Connectivity Service.

A woman driving a motor boat

A data cable is all that connects the helm to the motor

This allows the owner to maintain a record of the boat’s performance, and monitor the systems in real time, a function that might be especially useful for charter fleets.

The new outboards also feature advanced dampers to reduce harshness and vibration.

These keep the noise output below a claimed 73dBA. With other features such as trim and tilt as standard and a design that is slim and relatively timeless looking, the new X Series looks set to take a significant share of the market for smaller sailboats, RIBs and motor launches.

Prices start from £9,450 for the X12 motor. The G102-100 battery costs £5,999.

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