Mercury Marine Reveals its First Electric Outboard

Mercury Marine has announced its first electric outboard—the Avator 7.5e—the first in a series to include 20e and 35e engines coming later this year. The 7.5e generates 750 watts of power at the prop shaft, producing speed and acceleration similar to a Mercury 3.5 hp FourStroke.

“We created an entire propulsion system fully integrated from the advanced controls, props and digital gauges to an all-new mobile app,” says Tim Reid, Mercury’s vice president of product development and engineering.

Mercury worked with its sister company Mastervolt to design Avator’s 1 kWh lithium-ion battery. The battery has no cables to connect; it slides into place under the engine’s flip-up cowling. Carry a spare battery for additional range, and swap it while on the water.

When tested on a 13-foot Veer X13 boat (382 pounds dry weight), the outboard ran for 60 minutes, or 5 miles, at constant full throttle. It ran up to 19 hours, or 34 miles, at a constant 25 percent throttle.

The Avator comes with a 110W charger that can be packed in a carry bag.
Boaters can also upgrade to a higher-speed charger.

The 48V engine weighs 37 pounds excluding battery and transom quick-connect bracket, and is sold with a 15-, 20- or 25-inch shaft. The battery weighs 17 pounds.

Read Next: Mercury Marine Debuts First Ever V10 Outboards

Tiller and console steering options are available. The Digital Power & Shift remote controls come in three styles to fit a range of center- and side-console mounting positions. Gauges are embedded directly into the tiller-steer model while a pedestal display can be added to a console.

Avator 7.5e will be available later this year; pricing will be announced closer to the sale date.