Water testing reveals performance of Mercury’s first electric boat outboard motors
Mercury’s recently unveiled electric outboard motors are now on their way to customers after the company announced the beginning of shipments of the Avator 7.5e. And new performance testing shows just what boaters can expect from the motor.
The compact Avator 7.5e is the first of five upcoming electric outboards from Mercury, with the already-named Avator 20e and 35e to be unveiled later this year as higher-power models.
They’re designed to make it easy to electrify small vessels and provide an effective alternative to combustion-engine outboard motors.
Small electric boats offer numerous benefits, making them an attractive choice for boaters. These vessels produce zero emissions, helping to preserve aquatic ecosystems and improve air quality. They also operate quietly, reducing noise pollution and ensuring a peaceful experience for both passengers and surrounding wildlife.
For anglers, the lack of noise and water pollution is even more important before dropping a line in the water.
Additionally, electric boats have low operating costs and require minimal maintenance compared to their gas-powered counterparts, making them an economical and environmentally friendly option for leisurely outings on the water.
Now with the advent of convenient electric outboard motors, small electric watercraft are becoming increasingly accessible.
The Avator 7.5e electric outboard was unveiled in January of this year alongside a new electric boat model from Mercury’s sister company.
That boat, the Veer X13, was used for initial performance testing of the Avator 7.5e outboard.
The Avator 7.5e is a small-format outboard designed for light watercraft. It is rather low power at just 750 watts, which equates to a single horsepower. But electric outboards are known to provide performance that is in line with combustion engine outboards with several times higher power.
Mercury’s own testing on the Veer X13 showed that the 7.5e was capable of speed and acceleration similar to that of a Mercury 3.5 hp FourStroke outboard, putting the electric outboard’s equivalent performance at around 3.5x higher than its nominal power rating.
The upcoming Avator 20e and 35e, if similarly scaled, could thus theoretically match up against combustion engine outboards in the 10 and 15 hp range. But until we see those motors in the water, we’ll have to wait and see.
The Avator line uses 1 kWh swappable batteries that slide into the unit’s case, not unlike a large power drill battery. Run time tests demonstrate the massive difference in efficiency of boats based on speed.
When tested on a Veer X13 boat, a single battery lasted for 60 minutes of operation and a distance of 5 miles (8 km) at 100% throttle. However, when tested at 25% throttle, the battery lasted for 19 hours and covered a distance of 34 miles (55 km), according to PlugBoats.
The swappable battery design means that boaters can bring one or more spare batteries to pop into the unit to expand the electric boat’s range and run time. It’s the same concept as keeping a red gas can on board, just without the mess, expense, fumes, danger, or need to remember to stop at a gas station before heading out.
The transom-mount outboard motor features a standard tiller control but is also set up for digital power & shift remote controls for either center or side console mounting. It also has compatibility with the Mercury Marine smartphone app to offer GPS, a battery charge monitor, and a range estimator.
Electrek’s Take
There are several new small electric outboards and kayak e-motors coming out, and the entire area excites me. I’m a big fan of small electric boats for enjoying some relaxing fun on the water or reaching fishing spots that larger vessels couldn’t access.
Self-contained systems like Mercury’s Avator line, which are basically as easy to operate as a power drill, are going to make light electric boats even more enticing.
The biggest issues are still cost and range, but increasing competition is helping with the former while swappable batteries are helping with the latter.
Hopefully I can get on a Veer X13 soon and test out that Avator 7.5e. Or maybe I should just get one for my own little lake cruiser.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Lucid Motors (LCID) will continue offering the $7,500 federal EV tax credit for Gravity buyers until the end of the year. Lucid’s interim CEO, Marc Winterhoff, said the electric SUV has “so many orders” and it doesn’t want buyers to lose out on the savings.
Are orders for Lucid’s Gravity SUV picking up?
Apparently, demand for Lucid’s new Gravity SUV is picking up. A recent Automotive News report claimed that Lucid registered just nine Gravity models in its first six months on the market, but the company was quick to shut down the rumors.
Lucid’s communication boss, Nick Twork, told Electrek in an email that the report was “completely inaccurate,” adding “a quick review of social media postings from our customers shows that those numbers are simply not credible.”
According to Twork, Gravity deliveries are “well into the 3-digit range.” In the second half of the year, Lucid expects the SUV to account for the majority of deliveries and production.
Winterhoff confirmed on Lucid’s second-quarter earnings call that production of the Gravity SUV was “beginning to ramp up” after resolving most of the supply chain issues that had limited output in the first half of the year.
Since it started offering test drives while adding Gravity models to its studios, Lucid’s interim CEO said the daily order rate for the electric SUV has nearly doubled.
During a new interview with Brew Markets on Tuesday, Winterhoff suggested that the Gravity is quickly attracting buyers. Lucid’s chief confirmed it will honor the $7,500 federal EV tax credit for Gravity buyers until the end of the year “because we have so many orders and we don’t want to tell order holders, you know what, you’re out of luck, we didn’t deliver in time.”
Winterhoff also said that Lucid expects a limited impact on sales from the loss of the credit due to its market position and pricing.
Lucid views the German luxury brands, including Mercedes, BMW, and Audi, as its primary competitors. Although it does view Tesla as a competitor, “we see ourselves a little bit of a notch higher than Tesla,” Winterhoff said, when comparing the interior, materials, and luxury.
Despite several luxury brands recently pulling back on their electrification plans, like Porsche, Lucid will remain a pure EV company and still believes electrification is the future.
Lucid’s vehicles currently start in the $70,000 to $80,000 range, but the company is working on launching its midsize platform in late 2026, which will bring the price down to around $50,000. The midsize platform will wear at least three “top hats,” including a crossover SUV, a more rugged variant, and a third, rumoured to be a midsize sedan aimed at the Tesla Model 3.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
The Trump administration is seeking to acquire a 10% stake in Nevada’s upcoming lithium mine, operated by Lithium Americas (LAC).
Lithium Americas (LAC) has a flagship lithium mining project, Thacker Pass, located in Nevada.
With the Biden administration, the company had secured a $2.26 billion government loan to advance the project to production. However, since taking office, Trump has been attempting to claw back many loans related to the energy transition.
Last night, reports began to circulate about the Trump administration attempting to renegotiate the terms of the loans to include a 10% stake in the project.
It sent LAC’s stock surging by as much as 80% in after-hours trading.
The reports forced the company to issue a comment. Lithium Americas confirmed being “in discussions” with both the Department of Energy, which issued the loan, and General Motors, which holds a 38% stake in the company and a right to buy the lithium from the mine, about drawing from the loan:
The Company is in discussions with the DOE and General Motors Holdings LLC (“GM”), its joint venture partner in the Thacker Pass lithium project (“Thacker Pass” or the “Project”), regarding first draw on the DOE Loan. The topics of these discussions include certain conditions precedent to draw on the DOE Loan and associated loan specifics, as well as incremental requests from the DOE for potential further conditions to first draw and/or potential amendments to the DOE Loan and associated transaction documents, including corresponding consideration. The Company continues to work with the DOE and GM regarding proposals for a mutually agreeable resolution.
This would be the latest example of the Trump administration taking direct stakes in companies and using “national security” as the reason.
Electrek’s Take
The Biden administration was attempting to establish a North American battery supply chain, but Trump has significantly hindered that effort over the last few months.
However, this is a good move.
The loan would have likely worked as well, but direct ownership is essentially how China operates, and it has worked out quite well for them. There’s a word for this, but Trump’s base hates it.
My main issue with how Trump is doing these market-moving announcements and leaks looks a hell of a lot like insider trading.
Even with this move on LAC, there was suspicious short-term option trading on the stock leading up to this.
The US is in its era of grifters.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Environment
Lithium Americas soars 100% as Trump administration seeks equity stake in Canadian miner
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment12 months agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024