POD drives

POD DRIVE

Space saving, efficient inboard electric engines for sailboats & motorboats

ePropulsion POD Drives - electric inboard motors

The ePropulsion POD drives are pushing electric inboard motors to new levels for boating. These lightweight, maintenance free electric motors are incredibly versatile and ideal for sailing yachts, motor and powerboats. They are super quiet, with no thumping vibrations, save considerable space in your cabin and highly reliable.

Requiring no fuel tank, exhaust or cooling system, the batteries are considerably smaller than a standard diesel engine. And you’ll find you can remove your internal 12 volt batteries too as the POD Drive can power your domestic power too.

  • Space saving
  • Quiet – no vibration
  • Hydrogeneration – recharge whilst you sail
  • Maintenance free – no servicing required
  • Environmentally friendly – no fuel on board
epropulsion pod drives 3.0 evo inboard electric engine

ePropulsion POD Drive 1.0 Evo

1kw – 3HP equivalent
For yachts and motor boats up to 1 ton

epropulsion pod drives 3.0 evo inboard electric engine

ePropulsion POD Drive 3.0 Evo

3kw – 6HP equivalent
For yachts and motor boats up to 3 tonnes

epropulsion pod drives 6.0 evo inboard electric engine

ePropulsion POD Drive 6.0 Evo

6kw – 9.9HP equivalent
For yachts and motorboats up to 6 tonnes

Why choose ePropulsion POD Drives for your electric inboard motor?

Clean & quiet

Emissions free and virtually silent – you’ll barely be aware when the engine is running, and there’s no vibration.

Simple installation

Installing the POD Drive Evo motors is simple, quick and requires minimal labour. That is because there’s no open loop water cooling system or exhaust system, or exact alignment of inboard drive shafts.

Reliable & maintenance free

At the core of the ePropulsion engine is our advanced brushless direct drive technology. And it’s proven to be highly reliable as the engine does not require a gear box to achieve the necessary torque.

So this means there’s fewer moving parts and a simple mechanical structure. As a result this is how we make them reliable and maintenance free.

Low weight

It’s easy to position the motor and batteries on board because they are lighter weight than a diesel engine.

Compact size & space saving

Switching to a POD drives and eSeries means a much smaller overall drive unit than a traditional engine. This helps to :

  • save weight & reduce the amount of power needed
  • releases considerable space for stowage & onboard living

Retro fit to your boat

POD Drives are being retro fitted by owners into traditional sailing yachts, such as the Sadler 29 and Super Seal.

As well as clean energy, these boats can remove their fuel tank, engine, exhaust system and 12 volt batteries, freeing up considerable space. And it means there’s no fuel smells or spills.

Emergency magnetic kill switch

Clip the lanyard to your wrist or life vest, so as to stop the motor instantly if it’s removed.

Battery power

The primary battery choice is the ePropulsion 48v- e series lithium batteries, available in different sizes. Importantly, these batteries communicates directly with the POD drive to precisely sync operation status precisely and provide best operation strategy. However, a 3rd party battery cannot do this.

Battery Runtime

2 kw / E40 2 hours full throttle  / 8 hrs half speed
4 kw / E80 1 hrs 20 mins – full throttle, 5 hrs 20 mins half speed
9 kw / E175 1.5 hrs full throttle / 6 hrs half speed

Battery recharging options

On board – solar panels, wind generators and hydrogenation. Additional batteries can be installed for longer range boating.

Hydro-regeneration – sailing boats

You can generate electricity whilst sailing to recharge the battery which will further extend the range. In effect, this makes your sailing even more sustainable.

Hydrogeneration is activated and managed automatically according to the sailing speed and state of charge. When your sailing speed is over 10 knots the battery will enter it’s protection mode, so that the the recharging power remains stable and at a safe level for the batteries.

Battery Life

E series batteries have incredible battery life of up to 3000 cycles at 80% depth of discharge (DoD).

Battery recycling

All ePropulsion batteries are recyclable.

All ePropulsion electric POD Drives have:

  • Direct Drive
  • Electric starter
  • Water cooling
  • Hydro Generation recharging
  • Field oriented control

Safety features:

  • Kill stop switch
  • Safety wrist band
  • IP67 Waterproof rating
  • Propeller collision emergency stop
  • Over temperature protection

Thinking of converting your yacht to electric?

See the case studies

Switching to an electric Pod Drive

Read the Yachting Monthly review

POD Drive technical specs

POD Drive 1.0 EvoPOD Drive 3.0 EvoPOD Drive 7.0 Evo
TypeElectric POD Drive motor
Input power1 kWh3 kWh6 kWh
Equivalent power3 hp6 hp9.9 hp
Rated voltage48 V
Input voltage range39 V - 60 V
Weight - driver unit included6.2 kg15.3 kg31 kg
Control SystemEvo Remote Control
Evo Side Mount Control
Evo Dual Remote Control
Display backlightYes
Warranty2 Years
DRIVE
Input voltage39V - 60 V
Rated RPM1200 rpm2300 rpm15 rpm
Static thrust316 N / 71 lbs590 N / 132.6 lbs1000N / 224.8 lbs
Max overall efficiency55%51%57%
Cooling systemWater cooling
Direct driveYes
Hydro GenerationYes
Motor control Field oriented
PropellerSPIRIT 1.0 Propeller (Standard):
11″ × 5.8″ 2-blade composite propeller
NAVY 3.0 Propeller (Standard):
10.2″ × 6.7″ 2-blade composite propeller
Pod 6.0 Evo Propeller (Standard):
12.6″ × 8.7″ 3-blade aluminum propeller

Pod 6.0 Evo Folding Propeller (Optional):
12″ × 21.3″ 2-blade NAB folding propeller
SAFETY
Safety wristbandYes
IP RatingIP67
Underwater part IP68
Propeller collision emergency stopYes
Over temperature protectionYes

POD Drive controls

There are three ePropulsion POD drive control systems with wireless or wired remote options with integrated GPS to let you know your speed.  A real time digital display provides remaining battery capacity, real time speed, input power and range.

The side mount control is ideal for sailing sports boats and motor boats seeking a sleek, low profile control system. It’s 3.2″ display can be easily mounted in any cockpit.

Epropulsion Top mount Control electric out oard
Top Mount control
Epropulsion Side Mount control Spirit 1.0 Evo
Side Mount control
ePropulsion dual remote control
Dual Mount Control

E Series batteries

E60 Battery

Charging time:
1 charger 2.7 hrs
2 chargers: 1.3 hrs (in parallel)
Weight: 32 kg
Size:
512 x 290 x 300 mm
20.2 x 11.4 x 11.8 inches

E163 Battery

Charging time:
1 charger 7.2 hrs
2 chargers: 3.6 hrs (in parallel)
Weight: 78 kg
Size:
470 x 295 x 495 mm
18.5 x 11.6 x 19.5 inch

Comparison of electric POD drive to traditional inboard engine

Noise POD 3.0
60 DB
Vibration Level POD 3.0
3 m/s
POD 3.0 & 9kWh battery
£5900

In comparison, the graph shows the output torque of the ePropulsion POD 3.0 compared to a popular 10hp diesel inboard.

The results show similar levels of torque and range performance.

Another key bonus of the electric motor compared to the diesel is that you have all of torque at 0 rpm and low speeds. This makes it very easy to control the boat in close quarter movements.

Noise level 10hp
93 DB
Vibration Level 10hp
30 m/s
NEW inboard & installation cost
£6000++

Real world testing

Testing was done in a 26ft Yacht with a displacement of approximately 2 tons.

Set up with an epropulsion 3kW motor and one E-175 series battery with a capacity of 9kWh.

750w 4 knots
48 NM
1000w 4.5 knots
41 NM
1500w 5 knots
30 NM
3000w 6 knots
18 NM
Swallow yacht using ePropulsion electric motor

Incredibly versatile

The impressive performance of the POD Drive Evo motors makes them incredibly versatile.