Torqeedo’s new direct drive: 3HP only 11kg (25lbs)
Torqeedo has introduced a new lightweight electric boat motor, a direct-drive portable travel motor for dinghies and daysailers and other boats up to 1.5 tons. The Travel 1003 C delivers the equivalent propulsive power of 3-horsepower fossil fuel outboard and weighs only 11kg (25lbs).
With the addition of battery and tiller it comes up to 17kg/38 pounds. This includes an integrated onboard computer with GPS-calculated range and runtime data.
The motor is rated at 1.1 kilowatts and has a 915 Watt hour lithium-ion battery that clicks on top of the motor and can be removed for easy charging. The battery pack also has an integrated USB port for charging a mobile phone or camera.
Other accessories available (as they are for all Torqeedo travel motors) include a travel bag, remote throttle for operating the motor from the helm and TorqTrac smartphone app.
The TorqTrac app turns any compatible smartphone into an onboard computer with real time motor and battery readouts and location.
A word about horsepower equivalent
The straightforward comparison of HP to kW is that 1 kilowatt is equal to 1 and 1/3 mechanical horsepower, or conversely, 3/4 of a kilowatt equals 1 horsepower. So how does a 1.1 kilowatt motor get to be 3 horsepower instead of 1.5?
If you look closely, you’ll notice that Torqeedo and other electric outboard manufacturers use the term equivalent propulsive power. Propulsive power is an evaluation method and term that has been used in commercial shipping for nearly 100 years. It indicates the performance actually delivered by the boat‘s motor, taking all drive losses into account.
Without getting too technical about it, gas outboards measure shaft power, while Torqeedo measures the actual propulsive power of the propeller driving the boat through the water. According to some of their literature, the difference can be a power loss of 30% to 80% by the time the shaft HP gets converted through the gears and propeller arrangement. The ‘shaft’ on a Torqeedo outboard is essentially just the wires running from the battery to the motor, which is actually under water, running inline with the prop.
As we relate in our Throwback Thursday about the naming of Torqeedo, the company – now the global market leader in electric marine propulsion – was founded in 2005 by electronics engineer Dr. Fritz Böbel PhD and CEO Dr. Christoph Ballin. Dr. Ballin said last week ”Since then, Travel motors have become the preferred outboards for dinghies, tenders and small sailboats. The Travel 1103 C does everything a small combustion outboard can do but it’s lighter, much quieter, easier to use, cleaner to handle and store, and more environmentally friendly.”
Visit the Torqeedo website to find out more about the new Travel 1003 C, including dealer locations.
