METSTRADE 2024 Electric boating overview: higher power and new outboards

The three day METSTRADE show, the world’s largest B2B exhibition for the leisure marine industry, wrapped up last week at Amsterdam’s RAI Convention Center after recording its highest ever attendance: nearly 1,600 exhibitors and 20,000 attendees representing 134 nationalities. That’s a 10 per cent attendance rise from 2023, previously the event’s record-setting year.

What is also growing is the presence of electric boating exhibitors at the show, reflected not only in the sheer numbers (about 75), but also in the prominence of some stands which are not only significant in size but also in key locations throughout the center. Another indication is the addition of ‘sustainability’ as a major factor in deciding the winners of the show’s prestigious DAME Design Awards.

Dutch Electric Breakfast

Perhaps the best indication, though, is the the ‘Dutch Electric Breakfast’ which was first organized last year by Jamie Marley of Marine Electrification as “a gathering of like-minded industry friends involved in the electric and hybrid propulsion revolution”.

Jamie worked as Torqeedo’s Senior Field Service Engineer from 2014 to 2018, then started Marine Electrification to provide independent advice and custom electric propulsion installs. Aside from being one of the most knowledgeable people on the topic, he is also one of its most enthusiastic cheerleaders.

In 2023, maybe 20 people gathered at a small café across the street from the massive RAI Center for a coffee and bite and to talk electric propulsion. This year the staff of the De Uitsmijter (named for a Dutch a ham, egg and Gouda cheese sandwich) was kept hopping for a good hour and a half as more than 50 showed up.

The crowd included Adria Jover, President of IEMA (International Electric Marine Association), Christoph Ballin (founder of both Torqeedo and TYDE boats), Clive Johnson of Vita Power, Dan Hook of RAD Propulsion, Nathan Steele of Seabird Technologies, Neil Mans and Mark Robotham
of New Zealand’s ZeroJet and many more representatives from major electric propulsion companies.

UK’s Helix motors stepped up to pay for the event (thank you from all!) and Senior Principle Designer James Edwards had placed a small item on one of the tables, a motor literally the size of a postcard: 102 mm in height/diameter  and 165 mm in length (4″ X 6.5″). Good things do indeed come in small packages, as that little unit is capable of producing 120 kiloWatts of power.

It was a sign of the kinds of things that would be at the show across the street. High power electric motors would be one of the big themes of this year’s electric METS, along with the introduction of some impressive outboards and other motor types like pods and saildrives.

There were other notable products and services, of course, but I would say ‘high power and outboards’  were my two biggest general takeaways from three days of exploring dozens of booths.

The most common question traded by everyone in the electric boat industry at METS is ‘What have you seen that is interesting?’ So this article is an attempt to answer that for you, the Plugboats reader. There are short paragraphs below about each of the products, and I’ll have more in-depth articles on some of these ‘electric bests of METS’ in the days ahead.

Big power in small packages

EVOA and ARUSK pancake motors

Among the hundreds of displays in the dozens of stands of electric boat exhibitors, there were two that struck me because they were so small and seemingly insignificant, but both vividly showed the incredible opportunity and potential for electric propulsion.

One was in the stand of EVOA, the US motor company that is providing high power electric propulsion for iconic brands like ChrisCraft, Mastercraft and Williams Jet Tenders. The other was from a Slovenian company, ASRUK. I spotted it sitting on a table in a shared stand dominated by the other exhibitor, a company that distributes marine gearboxes and engine mounts.

The EVOA display was the interior of the motor, the ASRUK was a complete motor, that generates 170kW from a unit 270 mm in diameter and  73 mm wide (10″ x 3″). They are both ‘pancake’ motors (I think you can see why from the photograph) which is the user friendly name for an axial flux motor. (The Helix at the Dutch Electric Breakfast is also an axial flux motor.)

In an axial flux motor, as you can see from the EVOA cutaway on the right, the windings are on the flat side of the pancake. The more common radial flux motors are cylinder shaped and have the windings along the length of the cylinder. The advantage of the axial flux motor is that it has a higher power density (power per weight), better cooling, and can develop 30-40% more torque than a similar-sized radial motor.

Electric Outboards

Seabird Technologies 400X

If I did have to choose the most overall impressive electric boats item at METS, I would have to go with the new ultra high power outboard from Seabird Technologies.

Seabird is the company that designed the Racebird for the E1 Series of international electric boat racing, and now they have taken what they learned and applied it to the Seabird 400X, with the 400 standing for 400 kilowatts of power – that’s 530 horsepower.

That’s the peak power, the continuous power is 300 kW / 400 hp. That is pretty remarkable in and of itself, but what’s even more impressive is that a 400 hp fossil fuel outboard weighs 315 kilograms / 695 lbs, while the 400X is less than 200 kg / 440 lbs.

The other striking thing about the 400X is how small it is, especially the visible section. Those 400 kiloWatts come from a pod motor under the water, so the section attached to the boat’s transom is a sleek, elegant brushed metal column only about .4 metres / 16 inches wide and maybe twice that deep.

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EPTechnologies FALCON Outboard

Another high power outboard introduced at METS was the FALCON, by EPTechnologies of Denmark. EPT is celebrating their 10th anniversary in business this year, and have spent that time doing custom installations as well as offering a range of plug-and-play electric inboard options, including a drop-in Z/stern drive and drop-in jet drive. They were also one of the first marine companies ot offer a solid state batttery.

The FALCON is the first outboard in their lineup, designed and built from the bottom up to maximize the advantages of electric motors and propulsion. The axial flux motor packs 130 kw of continuous power (175 hp) into a small space, and, as with the 400X, is about 100 kg (220 lb) lighter than similarly powered fossil fuel burning motors.

That small motor block is stationary, with steering accomplished by the ability of the  lower leg/lower unit of the motor to revolve 180º.  That not only provides outstanding handling in tight space, but also helps protect the motor components.

At METS, the top plate of the cowl had a very stylish and ‘eco’ feel wooden plate. There are a variety of options available for the top plate to match the design of any boat.

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Existing high power electric outboards

While the Seabird 400X and FALCON were launched at this year’s METS, there were also other high power outboards to be seen. As recently as two year ago there were really only two players who had electric outboards with output of more than 75 kW (100 hp): Norway’s Evoy and Canada’s Vision Marine Technology.

Vision Marine did not attend this year’s METS, but Evoy was there showing off their BREEZE  300+ HP model, with continuous power of 225 kW and peak power of 450 kW (300 and 600 hp). This is the motor that powers the Axopar AX/E 25, winner in the 2023 Gussies Electric Boat Awards.

Evoy was joined in the high power outboard arena by Explomar, who had a shared display at last year’s show, and ACEL Power, who were attending their METS, but first launched in late 2023 at the sister IBEX show in Florida. This year, Explomar displayed their WAVE 150+ (peak power of 150 kW / 200 hp) and a bit lower on the output scale, ACEL had their 75 hp (55 kW) unit on hand. We also need to mention Molabo’s 50 kW motor that uses safe-to-touch 48 volts to generate that power, as well as a teaser in the RAD Propulsion booth – a pink foam cutout with the words ‘RAD 120’ above it. Coming soon!

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As I said, for me the two themes for the show were ‘high power’ and ‘new outboards’ Here are some other OBs that made their debut at METSTRADE 2024.

ZeroJet Electric Outboard (40 kw)

The new 15 kW (25 hp) electric outboard from New Zealand’s ZeroJet is quite impressive. As their name suggests, ZeroJet’s flagship product is an electric motor for jet drives, which is available on boats from a number of manufacturers, including OC Tenders, Spark, Agilis and the Highfield EJET 330.

That motor technology has now been configured as an outboard which the company says delivers the highest power-to-weight electric outboard in existence, weighing only 38 kilograms (83 lbs). It also operates on safe-to-touch 48 volt architecture.

One of the challenges of obtaining high power output from a small motor is how to dissipate the heat of the rapidly spinning rotor. ZeroJet has done this with a closed loop cooling path that includes a special heat dissipating construction of the cavitation plate above the propeller.

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Rim Drive Technologies Entry Level and Steerable Outboard

A rim drive motor is one in which the propeller blades are not attached to a central axle, but instead are fixed to the outer rim of a cylinder. Rim Drive Technology is the leader in these types of motors and, until now, have only had them available as pod drives and bow thrusters. At METS this year they launched their first outboard setups, the Entry Level Outboard and Steerable Outboard.

The Entry Level is an adaptation of their standard pod, adding a shaft, encompassing column, tiller and trim/tilt bracket with five positions to achieve the most efficient propulsion. The Entry Level comes in five power ratings: kiloWatts: 3, 4.2, 5, 11 (hp equivalents: 4, 6, 7, 15).

The Steerable Outboard is an adaptation of their steerable pod, essentially with all of the electric steering technology encompassed in a cowling that fixes to the transom of the boat instead of the middle of the hull. As with the FALCON, the lower unit revolves to steer the boat – a full 360º in this case. There are two power options: 11 and 15 kW *15 and 20 hp).

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Yamaha Harmo 2.0

Another rim drive motor at this year’s METS was the Yamaha Harm 2.0. The 1.0 Harmo was actually first displayed at METS 2016 and then launched for European boatbuilders in 2020 as a “next-generation control system platform” consisting of a propulsion unit powered by an electric motor, a remote-control box, and a joystick that enables more intuitive operation. Yamaha said they were “aiming to provide a smart package boat that gives passengers more comfort due to the quietness unique to electric based motors.”

The Harmo 2.0 is largely the same system, but with improvement and upgrades in all aspects resulting from tests and customer feedback. There is an expanded control system, and the Harmo 2.0 fully integrates with Yamaha’s Helm Master EX® system, giving users access to advanced features such as Autopilot and SetPoint positioning.

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Mitek REVOLVE

A very clever outboard idea was shown at METS from Mitek, an Italian electric propulsion company with a full rage of products including inboards, outboards, pods and saildrives. Their new motor, REVOLVE, was nominated for a DAME Design Award at METS and is impressive to see.

It basically takes the rotatable lower leg to another level. The 100kW (135 hp) motor sits in a bracket that looks like a C-Clamp and is attached at the bottom to the lower unit. To steer the boat, the lower unit and bracket turn together. The real innovation, though, occurs when the motor is turned off. The bracket turns to be flush with the transom, then the entire unit revolves out of the water to tuck away against the transom above the water line.

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Monument M10

Another brand new outboard nominated for the DAME Awards is from Monument, an offshoot of electric surfboard  manufacturer The Kinetic Option. The METS show was the worldwide launch for the 10 kW (1.5 hp) motor, which also shows off the weight advantage of electric over fossil fuel burning motors, weighing in at only 24 kg (53 lbs). For a comparison, that’s less than half the weight of a Yamaha 15 tilting the scale at 50 kg (111 lbs).

“But what about the battery”, you say. The company’s MB-6 battery weighs 37 kg and is basically the same size as a 3 gallon/10 L gas/petrol tank. For a full weight comparison then, the M10 and MB-6 add up to 61 kg while the Yamaha 15 and full tank add up to 60.29 kg. The battery stores 6.4 kWh of energy, and the M10 has an integrated trip computer and digital display with foldable tiller and quick release transom mount compatible with a wide range of common remote steering setups

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New outboards from the Startup Pavilion

There was a start-up section at METS in 2023, which was elevated this year to full Start-Up Pavilion status. Organized and overseen by Yachting Ventures, the growth platform for startups in leisure marine, the companies are not limited to electric boating but inevitably, there are some interesting and exciting entries in that field. At METS 2024 there was one start-up completely new to the scene – E SEA – and another – ZPARQ – that graduated from last year’s showcase with a fully realized outboard ready for manufacture.

The ESEA prototype has used the rotating lower leg concept to create outboard with an extremely low profile and a power rating of 75 kW (100 hp). ZPARQ (pronounced ‘spark’) has created a much rudder type outboard using a 10 kW/15 hp motor that has enormous power to weight ratio because it literally has a hole in the middle. This patented Hyperflow Cooling™ concept means water is flowing all around the motor as it goes though the water, enabling much higher RPMs.

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Inboards, Pods and Saildrives

While I do say the overall themes (for me) of this METS were ‘high power’ and ‘outboards’, that is not to say that there wasn’t lots of news and new products in other motor configurations, like inboards, pods and saildrives.

Molabo

A few weeks before the show Molabo announced their new inboard, the Aries i25, a 25kW model that runs off the same 48 volt architecture as their 50 kW motors. The uniqueness of the Molabo products is that they use a motor structure that has received multiple patents. Instead of the electricity flowing through windings, as it does in both axial flux and radial flux motors, their ISCAD motor (Intelligent Stator Cage Drive) has the juice flowing through rods that form the stator ‘cage’. What that does is allow individual control of the current in every bar of the motor, giving multiple ways to optimize motor operation under different conditions.

The other compelling benefit is that 48 volt motors can be installed without the special training and equipment required to safely handle voltages over 60V. For boat owners looking to switch to electric propulsion the Aries i25 offers a compact, easy solution at an accessible price point and for naval architects, designers, manufacturers, and boatyards it’s a cost effective high-performance option that makes it easier to adopt electric propulsion.

ePropulsion Pod Drive 20 eSSA

ePropulsion introduced their new Pod Drive 20 eSSA at METS. Two years ago, at the Southampton Boat Show, ePropulsion launched their OEM Pod Drive 10kW and the 20 eSSA is a natural extension with 20 kW of power. (They also have 1, 2, 6 and 12kW pods.) The eSSA designation refers to the ePropulsion Smart System Architecture that integrates, monitors and allows control of all aspects of the boat’s energy inputs and outputs the the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS).

The Pod Drive eSSA has been designed for maximum flexibility for either a refit or new build. It easily fits onto any Volvo or Yanmar sail drive mounting and its NMEA 2000 interface allows integration with most multifunction displays (MFDs).

Yanmar e-Saildrive

Yanmar, who have the largest install base of fossil fuel saildrives in the world, announced in Düseldorf last January that they would be coming out with an electric saildrive, launched that saildrive in September at the Cannes Yachting Festival and took home two awards at the DAME Design Awards last week in Amsterdam. Pretty good year!

The E-Saildrive SDe 48v series received DAMEs in both the ‘Propulsion & Dynamics’ and ‘Environmental’ categories. There are three models in the range —the SDe7 kW, SDe10 kW, and SDe15 kW—which deliver power output of up to 15kW for sailboats up to 40 feet (depending on application and displacement). The system uses a 48V electrical system and was designed to make it easy for boaters and boat builders to switch to electric with an electric option that fits directly into existing Yanmar engine compartments.

TEMO expands its lineup to electric pods

French manufacturer TEMO first made a name for itself with the TEMO 450, an electric motor at the end of a telescoping wand with trigger control that is perfect for navigating a small dinghy on its own journey or to and from a larger boat in the harbour. The next iteration, the TEMO 1000, has a full kiloWatt of power in a rudder design, and at METS they debuted their newest motors, the ‘Seaside’ pods,  now available for shipyards with a launch for the general public during the next sailing season.

The Seaside pods are “Plug & Play” and available in three power levels – 450, 1000 and 3,000 watts. They integrate “hairpin” type stator motors, allowing an energy efficiency of 88%, all with an optimized acoustic signature for a silent navigation experience. One of the innovations of the SEASIDE range is its removable battery system that allows users to manage their autonomy by selecting the number of cassettes they need according to their uses.

Directory of Electric Boat Exhibitors at METSTRADE 2024

Click any tile for company information and links.