The E-Xpert Pro-HV is made by TBS Electronics.

• 5.5 KW Electric Drive Kit
• Tracking Solar Array
• Energy System

For component details, see our 5.5 KW Solar Electric Package on our Electric Drive Packages webpage.

Watch our brief video (3:41) showing Kapowai in quiet action.

Our quiet and clean 5.5 KW Electric Drive Kit is placed in a new “engine” compartment, a small compartment under a seat, not in the original engine compartment. This is possible because electric boat motors are clean, quiet, and small. The large engine compartment is now available for other useful applications.

View the image gallery for details and close-ups of the installation and components. Click images to see full-size versions:

The New "Engine" Compartment

Electric Boat Motors are Clean, Quiet, and Small:

Electric Motor Compartment

What Electric Boat Propulsion is About:

Enjoying Kapowai’s electric motor off Santa Cruz Island, bringing the boating experience in harmony with nature: clean and serene.

Kapowai in harmony with nature off Santa Cruz Island

When I started, I knew very little about electric propulsion, batteries and controllers, etc. I needed some expert guidance. I did know I wanted a powerful, robust, and dependable electric motor drive system. I wanted a modular system that could be easily installed, upgraded, and repaired if necessary. Above all, I wanted a simple proven system that I could trust.

I believe I found everything I wanted. I am most thankful for the expertise, continued support, and patience James Lambden of Propulsion Marine has given me throughout the learning/installation process.

George Revilla
S/V pake’

Click images to view full-size versions:

5KW electric drive installed in Pake

Pake motoring at sea

You should be able to get performance that is similar to mine, since I would guess that our boats are so similar. Using a 13×15.5 four blade Acme propeller as suggested by James (the biggest that I could fit in the aperture) matched to a 2.55:1 gearbox, I have measured the following performance:

Electric Drive on Eric's Cheoy Lee sailboat

Average Results

You can see that 4kts is right around 1kW. Don’t worry about the drag of your new prop, I’ve found that I typically sail with the motor running at less than 2A. This eliminates all prop drag and allows for minimal regen on blustery days.

I’m running 16 Thundersky 160A LiFePO4 cells connected in series to create a 48V nominal system. My voltage at rest is close to 53V, but with voltage droop from higher loads, I consider my system to average 50V, plus it makes the math easier. So I’ve got 8kW of total storage from a 200 lb battery pack. I consider the usable capacity to be down to 80% depth of discharge and using that figure, here are my various ranges adjusted for Peukert’s Effect:

8 kWh LiFePO4 (6.4 kWh usable)

(16) TS-LFP160AHA – $3325 – 200 pounds

In controlled performance testing, I have found that these numbers are pretty accurate.  Of course, your results will vary, but you should be able to get pretty close to these numbers.

I use an Elcon PFC2000+ charger (from Evolve Electric in Colorado), it can do a full charge in about 5 hours using a 15A 120VAC shorepower circuit.

For emergency backup, I have a Yamaha EF2000iS generator (50lbs) that can drive my charger to produce 28A at 54V. My boat can motor at 4.2-4.3 kts as long as the gas holds out, without using any battery charge at all. I’ve never had to use it to get home, but I have motored around for an hour as a proof of concept. The generator only comes aboard for longer trips, for day sails, I don’t carry the extra weight.

I think that you’ve come to the right place. James is great to work with. I’m not aware of any other vendor that can supply this type of real world data about their systems.

I’m sure that you will enjoy your conversion.

Fair winds,
Eric

========================================================================

Hi everybody,

I did another set of performance trials yesterday. I started at 12:00 noon, after the last rain shower passed. The process took about 90 minutes and I covered 6.35nm during the tests. I ran the same process as before, 1 pass in either direction at a particular throttle setting, progressively climbing through 6 settings and then repeat the process descending through the same settings until done. There was some wind by the end of the trials, but that should be offset through the pass in each direction. The results were more consistent than the last trials which had apparent tsunami surge that skewed some of the numbers.

Eric's Cheoy Lee

Here’s this weeks results:

• 495W = 3.0kts
• 1,000W = 3.9kts
• 1,500W = 4.5kts
• 2,450W = 5.0kts
• 3,905W = 5.7kts
• 5,165W = 5.9kts

Slightly better at the low end and a little worse at the top end, but fairly close (+/- 0.2kts) to the previous tests. Because we had a conversation in the interim about motor temperatures, I recorded winding temps during the second half of the trials to see how quickly the motor would recover during the lower power settings. With a max observed winding temp of 74C at the end of the fourth pass at full throttle, the motor dropped to 52C by the end of the last 500W pass.

Right after the trials, I set the throttle to about 2500W and headed out of the marina, around the detached breakwater in open seas and then back in. 45 minutes later, at a constant power setting, the motor was stable at 60C and I had covered an additional 3.85nm. Apparently, the speed boost downwind is greater than the penalty going upwind resulting in an average speed of just over 5.1kts.

After messing about for 30 minutes or so at slower speeds, I brought her back to the slip. The entire day was 10.9nm with a 4.0kt average. The battery meter showed 107.7Ah consumed. After 15 minutes rest, the battery bank was resting at 52.35V. 4 hours on the charger, and she was fully recharged.

In a couple of weeks, I’m going to try a range run on the open ocean at about 1400-1500W to see how the batteries match up against their specs. I’m predicting about 18nm at 4.3kts out of 6.4kWh of usable capacity, that should take a little more than 4 hours.

I know that all this info is more interesting to me, so thank you for your time…

Fair winds,

Eric
Marina del Rey, CA

I am in the process of a multi-year restoration of Isabella, and believe she will be one of the most beautiful boats on the Chesapeake Bay when she is done.

It only made sense to find the most advanced, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing propulsion refit for her. Propulsion Marine is providing just that.

- Joshua Mitchell, Cambridge, MD -

Preparing for Electric Motor Installation

Our PMAC motors (Permanent Magnet A/C) feature a low-inertia, aluminum rotor between dual stators. This is highly efficient, providing:

• High Torque
• High Power-to-Weight ratio

The Torque Curve is consistent and flat, with high, even torque throughout the RPM range. Whereas, fossil fuel engines have torque curves that look like a lump, with low torque at low RPM, high torque at medium RPM, and decreased torque at high RPM.

Electric motors provide High Torque at any RPM, and they can turn large propellers even at low RPM.

Propulsion Marine’s Electric Drive Kits feature:

• Ratings for Continuous Use
• High durability
• Long Life

For more information, see our Electric Motors FAQ.

Motor is engineered for power

PMAC Brushless Electric Boat Motor

See our range of powerful electric drive kits:

• 5.5 kW Electric Drive Kit
• 7 kW Electric Drive Kit
• 10 kW Electric Drive Kit

Contact Propulsion Marine

Contact us with questions about electric drives.

For a complete recommendation or quote, send us an Electric Drive Worksheet.

Electric Drive Kits from Propulsion Marine include the most durable electric boat motors:

Water Cooling inside 10 KW Electric Boat Motor

1. Rated for Continuous Use
2. Permanent Magnet A/C motors (PMAC)
• High Durability
• Low Maintenance and Long life
  (no brush or commutator erosion)
• Temperature-controlled fans cool the motor
3. Sevcon Controllers
• Designed for PMAC motors
• Highly efficient
4. Gearbox provides:
• Gearing for maximum efficiency
• Integrated Thrust Bearing
• Flexible Coupling protects the thrust bearing from misalignment
5. Components are heat-sinked:
• Lower temperatures
• Longer life
6. Throttles are rated for outdoor use

2 Year Guarantee

We know our Electric Drive Kits are the most durable, and we stand behind them with a 2 Year Guarantee (when used under normal operating conditions).

For more information our durable motors for electric boats, see Electric Motors FAQ.

Durable Electric Drive Kits:

• 5.5 kW Electric Drive Kit
• 7 kW Electric Drive Kit
• 10 kW Electric Drive Kit

Contact Propulsion Marine

Contact us about the durability of our electric boat motors.

For a complete recommendation or quote, send us an Electric Drive Worksheet.

Our display is custom programmed in partnership with Sevcon for this specific marine application. Stats on both the motor and the battery bank are visible in a glance. See critical system information quickly without deciphering blinking light patterns.

The Sevcon Clearview display is a node on the Canbus of a Customized Controller. The display shows all relevant operating data including fault management, and allows for field programming of important operating parameters including maximum RPM and acceleration rates.

Custom Display for Electric Drives

See our range of powerful electric drive kits:

• 5.5 kW Electric Drive Kit
• 7 kW Electric Drive Kit
• 10 kW Electric Drive Kit

Contact Propulsion Marine

Contact us with questions about the display.

For a complete recommendation or quote, send us an Electric Drive Worksheet.

Boat Show Display