Electric outboard motors
No gas, no oil, no pull cord. About 23¢ a charge.
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18¢
An hour at full throttle
1 kW electric at 18.31¢ a kWh
$1.26
An hour on a 2.3 hp gas outboard
Honda's figures, gas at $4.33/gal
$107
Fuel saved over 100 hours
Plus no oil changes or winterizing
Electric outboards compared
| Motor | Price* | Like a gas | Battery | Maker's range claim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torqeedo Travel S (opens in a new tab) | $3,398Essential Package: motor and 1,080 Wh battery | 3 hp | 1,080 Wh | 22 km (13.7 miles) in 3 hours 56 minutes at slow speed on a 12.5 ft dinghy |
| ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Evo (opens in a new tab) | $3,607tiller motor with 1,276 Wh Spirit battery | 3 hp | 1,276 Wh | 35 miles in 10 hours at 3.5 mph, or 22 miles at 4.4 mph, on a 12 ft aluminum boat |
| Mercury Avator 7.5e (opens in a new tab) | $3,810starting MSRP at a US dealer | 3.5 hp | 1,030 Wh | 34 miles in 19.4 hours at 25% throttle, or 16 miles in 6.2 hours at half, on a 13 ft boat |
| Mercury Avator 20e (opens in a new tab) | $3,995starting MSRP at a US dealer | 5 hp | 2,300 Wh | up to 16 hours on one 2,300 Wh battery on a 12 ft boat |
| ePropulsion Navy 6.0 Evo (opens in a new tab) | $4,278.50battery sold separately | 9.9 hp | 8,345 Wh | 72 miles in 18 hours at 4 mph, or 22.5 miles at 15 mph, with an E175 battery |
| Mercury Avator 35e (opens in a new tab) | $4,960starting MSRP at a US dealer | 9.9 hp | 4,600 Wh | up to 18 hours with two 2,300 Wh batteries |
| For comparison: Yamaha F6 (6 hp, 15 in shaft) | $2,180MSRP, engine only | 6 hp | Gas tank | As far as your fuel goes |
*Checked October 20, 2026. Torqeedo from its US store. ePropulsion publishes no prices, so these are from Electric Surf Sports, a US dealer. Mercury Avator prices are dealer-listed MSRPs (Gig Harbor Marina); specs and ranges from Mercury's Avator brochure. The Navy 6.0 price is the tiller motor; ePropulsion's E163 battery (8,345 Wh) was $4,199more. Yamaha F6 from Yamaha's July 2026 price list.
What it costs to run, season by season
| Hours a season (full throttle) | Electric, 1 kW | Gas, 2.3 hp | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 hours | $9 | $63 | $54 |
| 100 hours | $18 | $126 | $107 |
| 150 hours | $27 | $188 | $161 |
Electric: one hour at 1 kW (the Spirit 1.0's full power) at 18.31¢ a kWh, the US average residential price for July 2026 (EIA), before charger losses. Gas: Honda says its BF2.3's 0.29 gallon tank lasts up to an hour at full throttle; regular gas at $4.33 a gallon (EIA, week of October 12, 2026). The gas motor here is smaller than the 3 hp-class electrics, so the real gap is likely wider. Most fishing is done well below full throttle, where an electric uses far less: ePropulsion's table has the Spirit at 125 W for 3.5 mph.
The bigger savings are the things you stop doing: no fuel stabilizer, no oil or gear-lube changes, no carburetor cleaning after a winter, no spare gas can in the car. The honest cost is up front: a 3 hp-class electric with battery costs about $1,200 to $1,600 more than a 6 hp gas outboard.
Electric pontoons and bigger boats
Electric pontoons are here, at a price. Vision Marine's V17 electric pontoon (opens in a new tab) starts at $32,950 (6 hp electric motor, 6 mph cruise, with battery options for 3, 6 or 12 hours). To convert a small pontoon you already own, the Mercury Avator 35e ($4,960 starting MSRP) is comparable to a 9.9 hp four-stroke, which Mercury says runs up to 18 hours on two batteries. Mercury also makes the larger Avator 75e and 110e for bigger boats; we could not confirm their US prices.
Building your own 48 V battery bank for a bigger electric motor? Redodo's 48V 100Ah (opens in a new tab) ($929.99, 5,120 Wh) is a solar and home battery, so check your motor maker approves third-party batteries first; most portable outboards only take their own.
Myths, answered
Frequently asked questions
How much does an electric outboard motor cost?
A ready-to-run 3 hp-class electric outboard with its battery costs about $3,400 to $3,800: the Torqeedo Travel S Essential Package is $3,398, the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Evo with tiller and battery $3,607 at a US dealer, and the Mercury Avator 7.5e starts at $3,810 MSRP. A 6 hp Yamaha F6 gas outboard lists at $2,180.
How far can an electric outboard go on one charge?
At a slow cruise, a long way: ePropulsion says its Spirit 1.0 goes 35 miles in 10 hours at 3.5 mph on a 12 ft aluminum boat, and Mercury says the Avator 7.5e goes 34 miles at 25% throttle. Flat out it is about an hour (7.8 miles for the Spirit, 5 miles for the 7.5e). Range falls fast with speed, so these suit fishing, trolling and getting around a lake, not long runs at full throttle.
Is an electric outboard cheaper to run than gas?
Yes. A full charge of the Spirit's 1,276 Wh battery costs about 23¢ at the US average power price. An hour at full throttle costs about 18¢ on a 1 kW electric outboard against about $1.26 in fuel for Honda's 2.3 hp gas outboard. Over 100 hours that is about $107 saved on fuel alone, before oil changes, spark plugs and winterizing.
Are electric outboard motors any good?
For small boats at modest speeds, very good: they start instantly, run silently (fish don't spook and you can talk), need no fuel or oil, and lift off the boat in two pieces. They are not for planing a heavy boat across a big lake all day; for that, look at the larger Avator 35e or ePropulsion Navy 6.0 with big batteries, or stay with gas.
Can I charge an electric outboard battery with solar?
Often, yes. A full charge is small, about 1 to 1.3 kWh for the portable 3 hp-class motors, so a portable solar panel can refill one over a sunny day or two. Use the charger or solar input the motor maker approves and check its limits before connecting a panel.
Prices and specifications come from the makers' and dealers' US websites on the dates shown and change often. Ranges are the makers' own claims in calm water. Fuel costs use US averages; yours will differ. The Redodo link is sponsored; all others are plain. See our disclaimer.
Sources
- Torqeedo Travel S: Torqeedo US store — checked October 20, 2026
- ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Evo: Electric Surf Sports, a US ePropulsion dealer — checked October 20, 2026
- Mercury Avator 7.5e: Gig Harbor Marina, a US Mercury dealer (MSRP) — checked October 20, 2026
- Mercury Avator 20e: Gig Harbor Marina, a US Mercury dealer (MSRP) — checked October 20, 2026
- ePropulsion Navy 6.0 Evo: Electric Surf Sports, a US ePropulsion dealer — checked October 20, 2026
- Mercury Avator 35e: Gig Harbor Marina, a US Mercury dealer (MSRP) — checked October 20, 2026
- ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 specs and runtime table
- Mercury Avator brochure (specs, ranges)
- Yamaha consumer price list, effective July 1, 2026
- Honda BF2.3 specifications — 0.29 gal tank, up to 60 minutes at full throttle
- EIA gasoline prices — regular, week of October 12, 2026
- EIA average residential electricity price — July 2026
- Vision Marine V17 electric pontoon
Keep going
Power prices vary a lot by state; see yours on its state page.
Photo: Jackery Power Station on Unsplash (Unsplash License).