Mercury Marine introduces the Avator 7.5e electric outboard
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), today introduced the Mercury Avator 7.5e electric outboard at the Consumer Electronics Show 2023 in Las Vegas. Avator is Mercury’s next step forward in marine innovation and the 7.5e model is the first in a series of electric outboard products to be released in 2023 as Mercury advances on its commitment to be the leader in electrified propulsion. Mercury also plans to display concepts for its Avator 20e and 35e outboards, which will be in market later in 2023.
“We are excited to formally introduce the Avator 7.5e electric outboard to the world,” said Chris Drees, Mercury Marine president. “As the innovation leader in the marine industry, both in internal combustion products and now electric propulsion, we have the resources and knowledge to make boating more accessible to more people, while building on our commitment to sustainability. The Avator program is helping us do this in new and exciting ways.”
The Avator 7.5e outboard generates 750W of power at the prop shaft and produces similar speed and acceleration as a Mercury 3.5hp FourStroke outboard. Offered with tiller or remote steering, it’s ideal for powering many small boats, including tenders, jon boats, rigid inflatables and kayaks.
“The Avator 7.5e is much more than just an outboard,” said Tim Reid, Mercury Marine vice president of product development and engineering. “We created an entire propulsion system, fully integrated from the advanced controls, props and digital gauges to an all-new mobile app. Every aspect was designed with the same attention to quality, durability and reliability as all Mercury products. We’re confident the Avator 7.5e outboard will deliver a superior boating experience for boaters interested in powering small vessels with electric propulsion.”
Ease of Use
The Avator 7.5e electric outboard delivers clean, quiet power with innovative features that make it simple for boaters to enjoy the water. Swappable batteries, a quick-connect mounting system and intuitive controls make setup and operation easy. A vivid full-color display tracks battery level and range, for confidently exploring the water.
Batteries and Chargers
With its high-efficiency design and advanced lithium-ion battery system, the Avator 7.5e electric outboard is engineered to optimize range. The 1kWh lithium-ion battery was developed in partnership with the battery experts at Mastervolt and engineered exclusively for marine duty. It’s a safe, reliable 48V power source that’s been drop-tested and IP67 rated for water resistance.
Smart chargers constantly monitor voltage and current to deliver a safe, effective charge and can shut down to protect the battery if there is an issue. An intelligent digital display continuously tracks your current power status and estimated runtime.
Motor and Performance
Industry-first transverse flux motor technology delivers reliable, quiet power. The motor generates high torque with little effort, maximizing battery life and range while contributing to faster acceleration and more efficient overall performance than similar competitive products.
Commitment to Sustainability
The Avator program continues Mercury’s commitment across all product lines to redefine marine propulsion in ways that leave a positive impact on the environment. Avator outboards transform the boating experience by making boating possible with no exhaust fumes and zero direct emissions. Each electric outboard is also crafted with many components that are recyclable or reusable. Incredibly calm, quiet and smooth, the Avator 7.5e outboard helps boaters to fully immerse themselves in nature.
Connected Devices
The Avator 7.5e electric outboard is the first propulsion system from Mercury to be compatible with the all-new Mercury Marine app, available for iOS and Android devices. Boaters can access the app for free to enjoy basic functionality, including a library of tutorials and the ability to connect with a preferred dealer for expert support. Adding a Mercury SmartCraft Connect module to the outboard unlocks advanced features of the app. This includes a GPS map for planning your trips and visualized range estimates so you confidently explore. The app can also be used to track speed, battery level, outboard hours and system notifications. It provides the most complete set of performance data available for any electric outboard.
Learn more about Avator and Mercury’s vision for electrification at MercuryMarine.com/Avator.
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While Brunswick/Mercury has been teasing their electric outboards for almost a year, now a lot more details are out. And I tentatively like a number of unique features like the easily swappable battery and the separate transom mount. But even the 7.5e introductory model isn’t ready to ship yet and has no stated price. Then again, Brunswick also just announced a new boat brand called Veer that’s meant to be affordable and to work well with Avator propulsion: https://www.veerboats.com/
PS: I found some performance numbers from Mercury, which I believe are fairly similar to competitive models like the Torqeedo Travel 1103c and the ePropusion Spirit Plus :
“Based on recent testing with a 380-pound Veer X13 boat, the Avator 7.5e electric outboard can run for 60 minutes or 5 miles at constant full power, with one fully charged 1 kWh battery. It can run for 2.8 hours or 10 miles at 75% power, 6.2 hours or 16 miles at 50% power, and 19.4 hours or 34 miles at 25% power. Our data is based on continuous use at the designated power level on one full battery charge. Environmental conditions, boat type and load can influence performance.”
no doubt brunswick has the coin to make a good go at this. Interesting to see how torqeedo etc respond as market leaders. competition is always good, it looks a lot bulkier than the travel range but does look rather nice too
It’s heavier too. The Avator 7.5e weighs 37 pounds without its 13 lb battery and 6 lb transom bracket while the 1103c and Spirit Plus each weigh about 25 lb without their batteries. But it seems to be ruggedly built and I think the design looks especially sharp on the stern of an inflatable or a 12-foot tinny, as seen here: https://youtu.be/ujS1pOyemww
Speaking of small electric outboard weight, the new Temo 1000 is noteworthy at 22 pounds without its swappable 11 lb battery. I was impressed with a live tank demo at METS, especially how the versatile bracket and stowaway tiller can work when it’s used on a small daysailor:
https://www.temofrance.com/en_GB/temo-1000
Ben
The newer entrants seem to be more rugged so I am getting interested. Is there any way to charge any of them from a 12vdc source? Thinking about sailboat cruising and charging while voyaging. A 120vac inverter will certainly do it, but thinking about something “more efficient”
Tks
The Torqeedo Travel battery apparently has a DC-to-DC charger built in, so they sell a simple 12/24v DC charge cable (and I know people who have rigged 12-30 v solar panel charging by adding the correct plug). Meanwhile, ePropulsion offers a 10-30v DC-to-DC charger for its Spirit batteries, and so does Temo. Mercury does not yet offer DC charging for the Avator battery, but it seems likely, especially as Brunswick is getting to 48v DC in a big way: https://panbo.com/mercury-unveils-350-and-400-hp-verado-v10-motors-but-the-real-story-is-the-alternator/