Getting There – Electric

Long relegated to trolling duty and dinghy driving, electric outboards are now in demand with more horsepower to deliver greater speed on bigger boats. These outboards have many attractive attributes for manufacturers and boaters alike. They are quieter than their internal combustion cousins, have fewer moving parts, require little or no maintenance, are lighter, have much greater torque and don’t smell. But electric outboards also have their limitations. Speed isn’t so much the issue, but cost is. Range, particularly at higher speeds, is a major challenge, too. Here’s how seven leading manufacturers see the future of these motors shaping up.