By Guy Venables
It is particularly satisfying to test a product which solves previous problems. The Torqeedo Travel 1003 is an electric outboard that doesn’t rely on a heavy acidic car battery. Instead, there’s an integrated and sealed clip-on rechargeable lithium battery that makes the whole thing one unit and, in turn, gives it the advantage of a petrol outboard without the petrol – leakage, noise, oil, winterising and upkeep. When you turn it on the digital display tells you how much power you have and, once quietly under way, the built-in GPS tells you your speed over the ground and the remaining range.
As for range, it depends on how you use it: two miles at full throttle, when the 520-watt-hour battery will be discharged in around 30 minutes, or 16 miles at low throttle, when the battery will last eight hours (an alarm sounds when the battery drops to 30 per cent). It’s IP67 waterproof, well engineered and can be disassembled into three parts. We tested it on canals and at sea and the real treat for anyone used to a petrol outboard is that it starts with a simple twist of the throttle. For heavy use it’s a good idea to get two batteries or the solar-panel charger, otherwise you can charge it through your boat via an inverter or shore power. There’s even a Torqeedo Torq Trac smartphone app that can be used for waypoints, GPS, range status and trip logging. Long or short shaft will power boats up to 1.5 tons.
We love this. From £1,340
torqeedo.com Tel: +44 (0)1502 516 224 uk@torqeedo.com