Marine

Mercury's Avator electric outboard extends range with hotswap batteries

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Mercury Marine introduced the Avator 7.5e electric outboard at CES 2023
Mercury Marine
Mercury Marine introduced the Avator 7.5e electric outboard at CES 2023
Mercury Marine
The Avator 7.5e electric outboard snaps onto small boats courtesy of the transom bracket
Mercury Marine
The 1-kWh battery unit can be removed for charging indoors or hotswapped with a spare
Mercury Marine
The Avator 7.5e features a full-color display and a ratcheting tiller that can double as a carry handle
Mercury Marine
The Avator 7.5e electric outboard is designed for small boats like micro skiffs, rigid inflatables, kayaks and canoes
Mercury Marine
The Avatar 7.5e tips the scales at 43 lb, excluding the 16-lb battery
Mercury Marine
The Avator 7.5e electric outboard works with a companion mobile app for visualized range estimates on a GPS map, tutorials, digital gauges, full-text alerts, the ability to share data with a preferred dealer
Mercury Marine
The Avator 7.5e is Mercury Marine's first electric outboard, but will be joined by more powerful variants later this year
Mercury Marine
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Mercury Marine has announced its first electric outboard motor at CES 2023. Designed to be mounted to tenders, micro-skiffs, rigid inflatables and kayaks, the Avator 7.5e "delivers reliable, quiet power to get you where you’re going" and features a swappable battery pack.

The Avator 7.5e delivers 750 W at the prop shaft and is the first in a series of electric outboard products from Mercury this year, which will include 20e and 35e variants. The name of the new range is a word mash up that references the company's past and future – a blend of Advanced and Thor, the latter being the name of the first outboard from Mercury.

It's reported to employ the industry's first transverse flux motor technology for quiet reliability, high torque and a similar speed and acceleration to the company's 3.5-hp FourStroke outboard.

"One of the main reasons we chose to be the first to use transverse flux technology in this application is because of its high torque density," said Mercury engineer, Andrew Przybyl. "The motor can generate instant torque at low rpm. Because of that, we were able to design a large-diameter three-blade prop that spins slower, which is better for efficiency and overall performance. The result is faster 0-4 mph acceleration and higher efficiency than similar competitive outboards. Efficiency is the name of the game in electrification, and the Avator 7.5e outboard was designed to give you the most out of every electron."

The 1-kWh battery unit can be removed for charging indoors or hotswapped with a spare
Mercury Marine

The Avator 7.5e comes with a 1-kWh Li-ion battery unit developed in collaboration with Mastervolt that's IP67-rated and can be lifted out of the outboard's housing for charging indoors or for hotswaps with an optional extra unit taken along for the trip to allow for more time on the water. Each battery can be topped up overnight via the included charger, though optional fast-chargers are due for release as well.

The outboard sports a quick-connect mounting system and weighs in at 59 lb (26.6 kg), including the 16-lb battery unit. It can be steered using a ratcheting quick-tilt tiller (that can be locked down to become a carry handle) or models will be available with Digital Power & Shift remote controls designed to fit small boat helms.

Elsewhere, there's a daylight-readable full-color display above the tiller which shows battery status and remaining range estimates, and the outboard works with the company's new mobile app for iOS/Android. Adding a SmartCraft Connect module extends functionality to include such things as GPS route planning.

The Avator 7.5e electric outboard works with a companion mobile app for visualized range estimates on a GPS map, tutorials, digital gauges, full-text alerts, the ability to share data with a preferred dealer
Mercury Marine

"The Avator 7.5e is much more than just an outboard," said Mercury's VP of product development and engineering, Tim Reid. "We created an entire propulsion system, fully integrated from the advanced controls, props and digital gauges to an all-new mobile app. Every aspect was designed with the same attention to quality, durability and reliability as all Mercury products. We’re confident the Avator 7.5e outboard will deliver a superior boating experience for boaters interested in powering small vessels with electric propulsion."

Pricing has not been revealed at this point but the company expects the Avator 7.5e to be available later this year.

Product page: Avator 7.5e

View gallery - 8 images
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5 comments
pbethel
With ICE powered craft fuel burn decreases weight and increases speed and/or range. The effect is much more pronounced on planing hull boats and aircraft.
This disadvantage is going to be hard if, not impossible, to overcome.
ljaques
Price? If you have to ask, you can't afford one.
Judging by the likely amount they spent for designing the cover, I expect it to cost less than 75X the cost of a trolling motor and battery.
1stClassOPP
We’re informed the electric OB weighs about 60 pounds, it got a swappable battery, but what’s the run time? Is it good for 10 hours per charge?
DaveWesely
@1stClass Their specs say it has 1000W input power and 750W rated shaft prop power. That would equate to either 1 hour at full throttle, or 1 hour and 20 minutes. Since the typical user isn't going to be running full bore 100% of the time, those are minimum times.
TpPa
Still the same problem as all the electric markets, too expensive for the regular Joe. Does the guy with the big bucks have a 12 - 15' little boat to take his kids fishing or to put food on the table, nope it's the lower income people for the most part.
I can just see it now, Hey Joe how much did that electric motor and spare battery cost ya that you just put on your 150.00 used alumacraft, ah not bad just over 10 grand or so. Not happening for most.