Mercury Marine has announced—for the first time—a trio of all-new electric outboard motors that the company says will form the foundation for a full line of battery-powered boat engines.
The company officially unveiled its new Avator 7.5e electric outboard motor at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on January 3. Intended to power smaller vessels like cartoppers and inflatables, the Avator 7.5e outboard generates 750 watts of power, allowing performance comparable to that of a 3.5 horsepower gasoline-powered outboard but with the advantages of no noise, no fumes, no emissions, and no need to buy fuel or cart Jerry cans down to the dock.
The Avator is powered by a user-changeable 48-volt, 1 kWh battery that fits inside the top of the motor’s cowling. Replacing the battery is a simple matter of opening a door, lifting out the exhausted cell and sliding in a fresh one. The company says most users will have two batteries so they can allow one to recharge while the other is in use. “We could have just made a bigger battery,” said Mercury Marine president, Chris Drees. “But this motor is meant to be used on smaller boats where that additional size and weight wouldn’t be practical. This is much easier, it allows you to always have a fresh battery at the ready, and it’s super easy to use.”
Drees says that the Avator 7.5e is just the first model in what will become a full line of electric outboards for Mercury. “We also have the larger Avator 20e and 35e models, which will be released later this month. We’re going to have five electric models by end of this year.”
The company says the new motors will begin shipping to dealerships across North America in late winter or early spring, just in time for the coming boating season.
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