Torqeedo Travel 903, 1103 & NEW XP Electric Outboard Motors: UK

Motors / Nestaway Boats

As one of the UK’s leading electric propulsion retailers, we have unmatched experience in helping you find the best motor for your requirements… and are competitive on price too.

_______________________________________________

Torqeedo Travel electric outboards are high quality German-made motors with lightweight lithium batteries… easy to use, easy to handle/store, incredibly quiet.

NEW-GEN Travel XS, Travel, Travel XP now in stock

Find out more

INTRODUCTION

Torqeedo kickstarted the electric outboard market when they put a lightweight, rechargeable, and waterproof lithium battery roughly where you’d expect the fuel tank to be on a petrol outboard. With no need for a separate heavy “car battery” to manhandle and put elsewhere in the boat, the “Torqeedo Travel 1003” made the idea of “going electric” much more appealing and viable to a larger segment of the boating market. They sold like the proverbial warm carbohydrates. And, as is usually the case with electronics, their latest models – the Torqeedo Travel XS & XP – are even quieter, more refined and more robust than the original, with much larger battery capacities too.

However there is no point trying to hide the fact that Torqeedo no longer have this market to themselves; if you have not already seen it please also read our e Propulsion Spirit page.

Both manufacturers make portable electric outboards with lithium battery packs, and power capacities from 0.6 to 1.6kW. The 1kW models are roughly equivalent, in terms of what they achieve on the water, to 3hp petrol outboards. But much easier to use than petrol: quieter, cleaner and easier to store. The advantages are so significant that it’s now difficult to think of a reason to buy a small petrol motor.

As of March 2026 we are still the largest UK dealer (by units sold) for Torqeedo and e Propulsion electric outboard motors. There are many similarities and some important differences. We use them both regularly for our personal boating, and it’s only by stocking both brands we believe we can listen to you and recommend the one that will suit you best (rather than being a single brand dealer and forced to try and sell you that one).

The Latest Generation Torqeedo Travel Motors

We know lots of people are still enquiring (we get the enquiries) after the 1103, 903 & 603 electric outboards but these are now discontinued.

So in Torqeedo World it’s now all about the Travel XS, Travel S and Travel XP. Note that these names can be slightly confusing but have nothing to do with shaft length! Key Highlights of the new Travel series:

POWER… lots of it. There is the 700W Travel XP, the 1100W Travel, and the 1600W Travel XP. Apart from the e Propulsions, most other portable electric outboards are classed as “trolling motors”.
BATTERY. There are three battery options for the new Travel series, with the Travel battery XS at 648Wh and 6.8kg, the Travel battery at 1080Wh/8.6kg, and the Travel XP battery at 1425Wh/9.6kg. All are in the same size outer casing.
VERY EASY TO USE. Twist and go; no messing with a choke, pulling starting cord, or spilling petrol, etc. Unlike some rivals the new series Travels also have “click and go” batteries – no cables to connect.
LIGHTWEIGHT. Total assembled weight (including battery) is 18.3kg for the Travel XS, 20.2kg for the Travel, and 22.2kg for the Travel XP. As the batteries are removable so your “pass up and down weight” (the motor/leg ex battery) at 11.6kg.
IP67 Waterproof, so even if you submerse them (up to 1m) they still work. Yes we’ve tried it, much to the astonishment of onlookers!
BUILT-IN GPS & DIGITAL DISPLAY (colour on XP), showing battery charge state, speed, range and power draw.
QUIET! Effectively silent in fact, the sound of water splashing on the hull usually drowns out the minimal noise from the motor.

BUY NOW

Power Comparison

We have often heard of people being told their Torqeedo Travel (1100W) is equal to a 3hp petrol outboard.

We consider that to be slightly misleading if you take it literally, as a 3hp petrol motor will get many small, lightly loaded craft of the right hull form “on the plane”, and a Torqeedo Travel won’t. The propeller supplied is not even designed for that sort of speed (it’s rated 9kmph at 790W, or about 5.5 knots flat out).

And in scientific terms 1kW converts to 1.34hp… so where does “equivalent to 3hp” come from?!

Well, where the Torqeedos (and other electric outboards) excel is pushing surprisingly heavy loads (when the 3hp petrol wouldn’t get you on the plane anyway) at up-to-displacement speeds. They’re more than happy pushing a 9ft inflatable dinghy with 4 people in it up to about 4.5 knots, for example (depends a lot on the hull shape). And we’ve also had an 1103 pushing a two-tonne yacht along surprisingly effectively, up to speeds of about 4 knots.

So we’d happily say the Torqeedo Travel is equivalent to a 3hp petrol outboard, possibly even superior for the way most people use them most of the time, but not equal. With the same caveats, the Travel XS is more akin to a 2hp petrol outboard motor, whilst the XP is more like a 4-5hp petrol outboard.

Questions? We are here to help. »» CONTACT US

Battery

Battery: Range

The lithium battery supplied with the “Power” version of the new Torqeedo XP has a capacity of 1425Wh. Until quite recently this was the largest integrated battery outboard capacity on the market, but the e Propulsion Spirit 2 (1539Wh) and Blade Halo (1700Wh) now beat it!

If you’re running a Torqeedo XP (1.6kW version) with the 1425Wh battery flat out you will get approx 53 minutes run time. BUT, if you’re after 4-4.5 knots in a typical inflatable dinghy that probably only needs about 500W… and then you’d get nearly 3 hours. So a range of 12-13 nautical miles (~25km). Whilst that is not enough for everybody it is enough for a lot of users, and if you slow down a bit more the range increases significantly again. The amount of power needed to go a bit faster – or the amount of power saved if you go a bit slower – is exponential.

The Travel XS and Travel batteries have less capacity and therefore proportionately less range (at the same speed).Typical yacht tender users therefore find the Torqeedo Travel (1080Wh) has a range of about 10 nautical miles, if they’re happy with 4 to 4.5 knots. If you slow down to 2 knots the range is meant to be absolutely huge, but we’ve never had the patience to sit in a dinghy going very slowly for 17 hours to find out!

The Torqeedo Travel XS has a 648Wh battery (same size casing with different internal architecture), weighing just 6kg. If we go with 500W again, then it will last about 1hr 15mins. The range at the same speed will be 45% of that you could achieve with the XP’s larger battery. Let’s say 5 nautical miles for the typical yacht tender user – but that is still “plenty” for many.

As “range anxiety” is usually the main worry for those new to electric power, the digital display with it’s built-in GPS and range computer is very reassuring. It also shows your speed, in units of your choice. Range is inversely related to speed, so if you have further to go than currently indicated, simply slow down until the range increases to the required distance. As a further precaution an alarm sounds as you pass below 30% capacity, with the display flashing a recommendation to slow down. .

You can also buy another battery of course!

More Info

Battery: They’re waterproof!

Perfect for use on a dayboat or dinghy – even if you capsize whilst sailing the motor will still work afterwards, to get you home (when you’re cold and and wet and have had enough!). And with the 6-11kg (depending on model) battery taken off (which can then be stored anywhere convenient) what’s left is lighter than any petrol outboard on the market today (about 11kg for the new Travel motors), so will have less effect on your boat’s fore/aft trim.

Battery: Handling / Storage

All Torqeedo Travel motors have an easy-to-remove battery, making handling much easier. The “old-series” 903CS with 916Wh battery weighs approx 37-lb (17kg) in total, of which 13-lb (6kg) is the battery, and 24-lb (11kg) is the motor/shaft. The tiller is also removable. So the most you ever need to manhandle is 24-lb, much less than any petrol outboard.

The new XP, 1600W motor with1425Wh battery, weighs 22kg in total – but again because the battery is removable that weight can be split in two for easier handing up/down. The Travel S 1100W/1080Wh battery version is about 2kg lighter (the difference being in the battery), and the newest “XS” version is another 2kg lighter (again due to less battery capacity).

Also, unlike (four stroke) petrol motors, you don’t have to worry about laying them down on one side, or getting them wet, which makes passing them around, and storage, much easier. Plus the relative silence, ease of use, lack of pollution, not spilling petrol everywhere… there are also optional bags for storing and carrying your Travel motor. Well in fact two bags, one for the motor and one for the battery – so if you have two batteries there’s a nice protective bag to keep the spare in whilst underway.

Shaft Size

The Torqeedo Travel motors are available in two shaft lengths, Standard or Long. The conventional measurement is from the bottom of the top of the clamp (ie where it sits on the transom) to the cavitation plate. As Torqeedos do not have a cavitation plate there is no direct equivalent, but approximately:
– S or Standard shaft Torqeedo motors equate to a petrol outboard with an 18″ (450mm) shaft. If your transom height is 45cm or less, this is the one you need.
– L or Long shaft equates to a petrol outboard with a 23″ (575mm) shaft. You need this if your transom height is more than 45cm.

For PRECISE DIMENSION click here and go to’Specifications’ Tab

The reason the Torqeedo electric outboard motor shafts seem to be a little longer than “normal” is that the propellers have a larger diameter than those on petrol outboards of this size. To work most efficiently a propeller needs to operate in non-turbulent water (ie well below the surface and ideally below the boat’s hull). Turning a relatively large propeller relatively slowly is very efficient (compared to petrol motors spinning a small propeller faster), especially at displacement speeds, but it has to be in the water!

All this summarises to, if you have a larger propeller it has to sit deeper, to be immersed. But if anything Torqeedo has slightly over-compensated for the larger propellers, ie made them a bit longer than they really needed to be on the S shaft models.

I’m confused by all these Torqeedo model numbers/names…

We’re not particularly surprised!

The gearbox 503 & 1003 were discontinued 6 years ago, so don’t worry about those unless considering a secondhand purchase. They were not bad motors of their time but their replacements were a big step forward.

The direct-drive 603, 903 and 1103 are also now all discontinued. But the 903 discontinuation was only very recent, so you may still find the odd one available new. It’s a very good 900W motor with 915Wh battery, and still worth consideration if you can find one and price is your priority.

So yes, all the numbered ones are actually part of history, and really the choice if you’re buying new are the Torqeedo Travel XS, Travel S & Travel XP. There are also three battery capacity options (Travel XS battery 648Wh, Travel battery 1080Wh, Travel XP battery 1425Wh). You can upgrade to a bigger battery than naturally goes with your motor, but not downgrade. Perhaps in an attempt to make it easier Torqeedo have suffixed names which differentiate SOME of the possibl packages according to battery size. We’re not sure it helps at all! But anyway the full rundown is:

Torqeedo Travel XS Smart Package. (Note that XS does not relate to shaft size in Torqeedo parlance, but e Propulsion offer an XS shaft.) 700W motor, 648Wh battery, available in S shaft only.
Travel S Essential Package. 1100W motor, 1080Wh battery.
Travel S Range Package. 1100W motor, 1425Wh battery.
Travel XP Power Package. 1600W motor, 1425Wh battery.

How can we help you?

We understand there is a lot of information to digest when trying to decide which product is for you. We have a lot of knowledge in this space and would love to help you make an impartial, informed decision. Use the button or the ‘Contact Listing Owner’ section below

Questions? We are here to help. »» CONTACT US

___________________________________________