Elco offers new smaller, lighter electric inboard motors
Aug 29, 2022
For decades, the Universal Atomic 4 was sailboat manufacturers’ gasoline engine of choice. Then, diesel power became prevalent. Today, boatbuilders as well as sailors repowering their boats are choosing Elco electric propulsion. The first builder of electric boats, founded in 1893, Elco now introduces new designs of its EP-6, EP-12 and EP-20 inboard motors that are half the weight and one-third smaller in length and height than previous models.
This is accomplished by utilizing a patented airflow design that lets Elco’s newest inboard motors run cooler. This reduces the copper windings required and allows for significantly smaller and lighter castings while retaining the company’s 129-year history of reliable electric marine propulsion.
Compared to an Atomic 4 or common diesel replacements, Elco’s electric propulsion solution measures only about half the overall length and height, and three-quarters the overall width. At just 72 lbs., it’s less than one quarter the weight of those internal combustion engines.
EP-Series Elco motors are exhaust-free while torque and power replicate combustion engine performance. They’re also always at the ready, without the starting or warm-up time of combustion engines. Plus, they don’t require a marine transmission, making throttle response and gear selection sure and immediate during close-quarters maneuvering. Elco’s motors are also silent in neutral and nearly so in gear, eliminating background noise and vibration of an idling diesel. This enhances communication between the skipper and crew to make docking safer.
Elco’s sealed motors include just one moving part, thus eliminating all user-required maintenance—there isn’t even an oil dipstick to check. This frees up space within the engine compartment for batteries, thereby matching a combustion engine’s weight within a boat.
Whether repowering or fitting into a new build, installing an Elco EP-Series inboard couldn’t be easier—or faster. Once it is mounted in place and connected, wiring is plug-and-play. Its control box can even be installed elsewhere to free up engine compartment space.
Elco’s EP-6, EP-12 and EP-20 are ideal for boats up to 34′ in length and 13,000 lbs., replacing combustion engines in the 6-, 12-, or 20-horsepower range. Larger boats can choose Elco’s electric and hybrid propulsion systems ranging up to 200 horsepower equivalence.
The Elco EP-6 Electric Inboard costs $5,845; the EP-12 is $6,445; and the EP-20 runs $6,845. They come with a three-year warranty. Batteries sets are $732, $1,728 and $2,188, respectively.
Elco was founded for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair as the first electric boat production builder. Today, the company offers electric outboard and inboard propulsion systems as well as modern replicas of electric launches from the 1800s.
