It's Electric, Boogie Woogie w/video

Photo Credit: Todd Kristenson

Like it or not, electric powered vehicles are gaining momentum. We’ve looked at all electric powered boats before, but this is the first full sized outboard engine to date.  ReGen Nautic’s all electric outboard was officially released at this year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.  The company has two versions of the outboard, one rated at 135hp and the other at 180hp.  

Click past the jump for more details and a video of the electric outboard in action.

ReGen uses current outboard architecture to house the electric motor and controllers; the lower unit is identical to the gas alternative.  ReGen even makes use of the raw water intake to keep the electric motor cool.

Depending on the battery pack you choose, you are looking at about a 2 hour run time before you have to stop and charge up.  Currently battery technology is the culprit here, maybe in a few years we’ll start seeing better battery life.

The other “elephant in the room” here is cost.  Both the 135hp ($27,449 MSRP) and 180hp ($29,999 MSRP) are about $10k more expensive than their gasoline equivalents; and that does not include throttle, display, safety box, cabling, software license ($4,500).  Then, depending on your preference, the battery pack will cost between $12,196 and $18,820.  All in, for the 180hp motor and 38.4 kWh of battery pack, you're looking at a cost of $53,329, Ouch!

One last thought.  It’s great that the engine is so quiet, but it concerns me that it would be so hard to tell if the prop is turning.  Prop accidents are particularly nasty, should they add a fake engine noise to help warn swimmers and operators of spinning props?  Tell me your thoughts in the comment section below.

A look under the hood.

That looks pretty clean under there.

Source: ReGen Nautic

Photo Credit: Todd Kristenson