About the Spirit 1.0
The Spirit 1.0 is a 3hp equivalent, fully electric outboard from ePropulsion. We charge the two 1018Wh batteries, we’ve affectionately named Eve & Wall-e, directly from the sun!
Specifications
- Horsepower Equivalent: 3hp
- Runtime (Full Throttle): 1hr
- Runtime (1/4 Throttle): 8hrs
- Motor Weight: 23.4#
- Battery Weight: 19.4#
- Battery Capacity: 1018Wh
- Noise: 55dB
More Information
Thoughts on the Spirit 1.0 Electric Outboard
We love this motor. It’s been a champ, and the best part is, we haven’t fouled a spark plug or have had to rebuild it once! Down in the Bahamas we quickly realized how valuable a having a motor that can get Rahm up on plane would be… HOWEVER we both agree it’s not worth the constant maintenance, dirty fuel & lubricants, or the swearing fits that arise from an engine that won’t start.
We used to dread constantly pulling the starter cord, hoping to get some action. Now we just smile watching others plead with their outboards as we silently glide past! And it’s so quite. We are in total ninja-mode all the time. It’s so nice to cruise around and not have to yell over the engine. Nor is there any smell either!
We charge the batteries primarily via solar, we’ve charged directly from a 100w panel which is quite slow, but works, and through our battery bank (still very slow, but not excruciatingly so).
We’re also quite pleased with the range of the batteries. We haven’t used them long enough to form a full opinion on how long they will continue to hold their range, but haven’t noticed any decline yet, and are quite happy.
FAQ
The total range and speed will vary significantly based on a few factors, namely, howe fast you are going, and what type of boat you are powering. We don’t have a good idea of range in nautical miles, because when we’re out in the dinghy we’re not really tracking that sort of thing. However we regularly get 4-5 days of use out of a single battery, running into a harbor, getting provisions, going snorkeling, etc. Traveling at full throttle yields about 1-1.5 hours of operation. But this will exceed the hull speed of our dinghy and is mostly a waste of fuel/energy. We typically motor at about 1/4 throttle and see 6-8 hours of use.
The speed will also be dictated by your boat/hull shape. We can not get up on plane with our boat, however my guess is that in a light flat bottom boat, it could do it. We can easily hit hull speed on our dinghy is about 3.5/4 knots and there’s still plenty of power to keep pushing if need be.
We have two batteries, (Eve & Wall-e) so that we can always have a spare that is charged or charging. We charge the batteries directly via a 10w solar panel, or a 12v charger from the house bank and our 420w solar array. There is a 120v charger that comes as standard, that takes about 8 hours and a 120v quick-charger that reduces that to 4 hours. Charging via 12v, takes about 16 hours from fully depleted to full charge.
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