Electric outboard motor: which one fits your boat? Torqeedo and ePropulsion compared

Which electric outboard fits depends mainly on your boat. For inflatables and tenders, 1 to 2 kW with the battery on the motor is enough, such as the Torqeedo Travel or ePropulsion Spirit, from around €2,000. Boats of about 4 to 5 m get 3 to 6 kW with a separate battery. In the UK you need no licence for any of them; in Germany the 6 kW models are still licence-free, on Lake Constance and in Austria only the 3 kW models.

Which models do Torqeedo and ePropulsion offer?

Both cover the same three classes: small motors with the battery on the motor, mid-size motors with a separate 48 V battery and large motors above 7.5 kW. Prices are German prices including 19 % VAT (as of 24 October 2026). Torqeedo sells directly in its own shop; for ePropulsion we quote a German dealer, because the manufacturer publishes no prices. UK prices are not listed here, because the dealer pages we checked did not say clearly whether VAT was included.

Class 1: inflatables and tenders, battery on the motor

Torqeedo contradicts itself on the Travel XP: the product description says 1,600 W and 1,512 Wh, the data table 1,100 W and the battery page 1,425 Wh (Torqeedo, Travel Battery XP).

Class 2: boats of about 4 to 5 m, separate 48 V battery

At Torqeedo, R stands for remote steering and T for tiller. In this class the battery always comes on top: Torqeedo recommends the Power 48-5000 with 5 kWh, ePropulsion its E-Series (Torqeedo Power 48-5000, ePropulsion).

Class 3: above 7.5 kW

Torqeedo stops at 12 kW in this class; ePropulsion goes up to 40 kW with the X-Series and uses 96 V instead of 48 V (ePropulsion).

Which electric outboards can I use without a licence?

In the UK, private pleasure craft have no licence requirement at all (RYA). On the Continent, power decides. In Germany an electric motor up to 7.5 kW continuous power is licence-free (§ 5 SpFV). On Lake Constance the limit is 4.4 kW (BSO), and the same applies in Austria (RIS). Based on the manufacturers' figures:

• Below 4.4 kW: all Travel models, Cruise 3.0, Spirit 1.0, Spirit 2 and Navy 3.0.
• Below 7.5 kW but above 4.4 kW: Cruise 6.0 and Navy 6.0. Licence-free in Germany, but not on Lake Constance or in Austria.
• 7.5 kW and above: Cruise 10.0 and 12.0 and the X-Series.

One catch: the German regulation counts continuous power. For the Travel and Cruise 3.0/6.0, Torqeedo only gives the input power, and ePropulsion only states “power” for the Spirit and Navy without saying which kind. Both give separate continuous and peak figures only for the large models and the Spirit 2. If you plan to use the motor in Germany, have the dealer confirm the continuous power before you buy, especially for the 6 kW models.

Battery on the motor or separate?

In class 1, the battery on the Travel and Spirit sits directly on the motor and can be taken off. Motor and battery then weigh roughly 8 to 13 kg each, and the battery holds 0.6 to 1.5 kWh. The exception is the Travel Ultralight with a separate battery (Torqeedo). From class 2 upwards, the battery always sits separately in the boat.

The cell chemistry differs: Torqeedo uses LMO-NMC in the Power 48-5000 (Torqeedo), ePropulsion lithium iron phosphate in the E-Series and X-Series (ePropulsion, X-Series) and lithium-ion polymer in the Spirit. Only ePropulsion gives charging times: 8.5 hours for the Spirit 1.0 with the standard charger, 3.5 hours with the fast charger (ePropulsion), and 8 or 2 hours for the Spirit 2 (ePropulsion).

How far will an electric outboard take me?

A long way slowly, not far at full throttle. The manufacturers test on different boats, so the figures are only comparable within one model:

Warranty and dealers

• Warranty: Torqeedo gives 2 years for private use (Torqeedo). ePropulsion gives 2 years on motor and battery for non-commercial use, worldwide 24 months or 1,000 operating hours (ePropulsion).
• Dealers: ePropulsion has its own distribution in the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland (ePropulsion). Torqeedo sells through dealers in the UK and Switzerland, and in Germany also directly in its own shop. Its dealer map for Austria could not be read.