First drive: Avator 75e and 110e electric outboard motors

The company formally introduced production outboard motors in early June at an invitation-only media event in the US, and we were there for a first-hand look.

Held in the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina on the US Atlantic coast, the product launch offered the chance to drive the new outboard motors on a variety of boats, including a 3.4-metre Zodiac e-Open 3.4 RIB, to a 4.1-metre Mako Pro 13 fibreglass skiff, to a 6.1-metre Sun Tracker Party Barge 18 pontoon boat.

“These boats represent examples of the applications we see for the new Avator 75e and 110e,” said Dan Rykes, Mercury’s senior category manager for electrification.

“The 75e generates 7500 watts at the prop shaft, which is roughly comparable to 10 horsepower. The 110e generates 11,000 watts at the prop shaft, which is roughly 15 horsepower.”

May as well start big, I thought, as I stepped aboard the Sun Tracker pontoon with the shiny new Avator 110e bolted to its transom.

Rykes drew my attention to a bench seat in the stern with a lift-up seat cushion, the storage compartment beneath it used to neatly house two weather-sealed Avator 5400Wh lithium-ion batteries, an Avator 5400 Power Centre control unit and a battery charger.

The Power Centre delivers single-point charging for both batteries simultaneously, working with the charger to bring them from dead flat to fully charged in about 10 hours.

“We deliver all of our electric products packaged to deliver one hour of run time at full throttle,” says Rykes.

“Our own data shows that in actual use, very few pontoon boat owners run the boat at full throttle and, if they do, it’s generally only for a few minutes.

“Most of the time, they’re cruising along at far more relaxed speeds, doing an after-dinner sunset cruise or wandering over to the sandbar to hang out and swim. In that kind of usage, this battery setup is more than enough for all-day use.”

Once we cleared the marina’s no wake zone, I was keen to see what the Avator 110e could do as I turned the 658kg Sun Tracker into the strong current of the Ashley River.

With four big guys aboard, I pointed the boat upstream, pinned the throttle, and watched the dashboard GPS speedometer quickly indicate a top speed of about 12.0 knots (or 22.0kmh).

Toggling through the menus on the dashboard intelligent digital display, I noticed that my approximately one-kilometre, full-throttle charge against the current promptly dropped the boat’s indicated operating range from a starting point of 16.5 nautical miles (or about 30.0km) to just 7.0nm (8.0km). Ouch.

Continuing my run upstream while backing off on the throttle brought immediate and dramatic range improvements, increasing to 12.0nm (22.0km) at 75 percent throttle, and back up to 16.5nm/30.0km at the halfway mark.

With Mercury’s data showing pontoons typically operate at half throttle or less, this kind of range would likely suit the needs of most owners. For those with greater need, the Power Centre can accommodate two extra 5400Wh batteries for four in total.

So how does the Avator 110e compare to a 15.0hp petrol outboard engine? Unfortunately, we didn’t have equivalent petrol outboards on hand to do back-to-back comparisons with, but Mercury’s data shows thrust from the prop is nearly identical.

Top speed with the Avator might be a touch less than that of the petrol engine. But it’s clearly quieter, and that takes some getting used to.

When you turn the key to start the motor, you hear a brief digital chirp from the dashboard and that’s it. Otherwise, it doesn’t make a peep.

Several times over the course of our sea trail I found myself turning the key to start a motor that was already on, fooled by the lack of engine noise. Underway, the only sounds you hear are the water lapping against the hull and on the pontoon, that’s minimal to say the least.

The addition of a tilt switch on the throttle control also tripped me up once or twice, since while the Avator 110e and 75e do come with power tilt, they do not have power trim – something I discovered quickly enough while trying to eke more speed and range out of my test runs.

Next up were a few runs on the Zodiac e-Open 3.4 RIB.

This boat also boasted an interesting battery arrangement, in this case positioning the batteries under the centre seat utilising the same space that would otherwise be devoted to a fuel tank, and mounting the Power Centre in a separate compartment under the helm seat.

With just two of us aboard, the 110e-powered Zodiac drove more like I would expect it to perform with a 15.0 horsepower petrol engine, demonstrating similar acceleration but with perhaps a touch less top speed.

The most interesting test ride for me was the Mako 13 Pro Skiff rigged with the Avator 75e.

With two aboard, the efficient, low-drag hull of the Mako really came into play, yielding performance on par with what I might expect from a 10.0 horsepower outboard engine, and with perhaps a bit more low-end grunt.

Both the 110e and 75e come with a standard intelligent display. Scrolling through its menus allows one to see speed, time remaining, distance remaining, actual battery level, power output and a variety of alerts.

A pre-installed Mercury SmartCraft Connect module allows users to also monitor operational data from a mobile or tablet if desired.

Both motors come with digital remote controls for use on boats with console steering, while the 75e is also available with a multifunction tiller handle. On the 75e tiller model, the display is integrated into the outboard face.

All three of our test boats were rigged with remote controls. Mercury has done a nice job here, with the throttle lever providing very smooth, precise and effortless adjustment.

It's compact, reflecting the scale of boats it is intended to be used with, yet still comfortable to operate even with my larger hands.

In terms of overall design and performance, both the Mercury Avator 75e and 110e are highly capable motors, and legitimate petrol replacements for boaties who like to go out for a couple of hours at a time and travel at moderate speeds.

They’re no-brainers for anyone who would prefer to just plug the boat in overnight rather than lug around fuel cans, and their absolute lack of emissions – or noise of any kind – gives them unique appeal.

The downside? They’re not cheap. The exact retail pricing depends on battery specifics and options, but there’s no question this is going to be a more expensive purchase than a traditional petrol-powered portable outboard engine. The flip side is you’ll never have to buy fuel again.

Other considerations such as range anxiety may remain a concern for some, but for most boaters that’s likely unfounded.

Speed is ample, but let’s be clear, no one will be setting on-water speed records with either of these motors. That’s not what they’re all about.

So what are they all about? For boating families who just want to go out for a few hours at a time and enjoy themselves, without having to worry about hauling fuel cans, oil changes or other maintenance issues, the Avator 75e and 110e have a lot to offer – and will put a smile on your face.

At the end of the day, isn’t that what counts?