48V-02×2 Electric outboard

The motorzoo 48V-02×2 electric outboard is a budget model electric outboard motor in the 2.2 kilowatt (3hp) power range.

The 48V-02×2 is the larger version of the motorzoo budget range of outboards.

It has the following specifications:

• Shaft. Short shaft configuration to suit use on dinghy.
• Power. Rating of 2.2kW (approx. equivalent to 3hp), drawing a maximum 45 Amps at 48 Volts.
• Propeller. Diameter of 18cm (7 inch), and speed of 3000 RPM.
• Thrust. Suitable for craft 2.3m to 2.7m in length. See guide to size the motor for your boat
• Weight. Net 19kg (no battery).
• Motor. Brushless motor, with power display. 3 speed levels (L-M-H).
• Controls. Tiller throttle, with cruise function.

The motorzoo 48V-02×2 electric outboard is a short shaft outboard with the additional power afforded by a 48V motor.

It features a traditional  casement design, with the electric motor substituting for the traditional petrol power plant at the top.

The motor shaft is directly connected to the vertical drive shaft, which is geared to the propellor at the bottom. It features:

• Sturdy construction. Conventional cast alloy outboard chassis protects the drive shaft.
• Powerful electric motor. The 2.2kW motor is more powerful than thos used in standard trolling outboard motors.
• Electronics protected from elements. The motor sits at the top of the drive shaft elevated as high off the water.
• Short shaft design. The short shaft design suits small dinghies.

It can be used on a dinghy tender or small watercraft outboard in shallow water environments.
Alternatively, may be fixed to a bracket attached low to the transom of a small yacht up to 5 meters, as an auxilliary motor.
he design approach to the 48V-02×2 electric outboard has been for an economical electric motor powered by 48 Volt batteries.

There are two types of electric outboard motors. That is, trolling motors, and performance motors.

• Trolling motors. These will produce limited thrust because of their limited power and propeller configurations.
  You might expect a trolling motor such as the 48V-02×2 to drive a dinghy of up to 3 meters in length.
  For a craft of up to say 200kg, the speed achieved may be up to 4 knots. But not much faster.
• Performance motors. Can support larger propellors with a greater pitch, to produce more thrust.
  Performance outboards create more torque, and are designed to drive larger craft, up to 15 meters.
  The weights of craft driven will be greater, up to 4,000kg. And greater speeds will be achievable.
  The maximum speed achievable will depend on factors such as:
  watercraft displacement; waterline length; motor speed; propeller diameter and pitch, and; other factors.

Electric outboard motors are very different to petrol outboard motors, on a number of levels:

• Torque. Electric outboards maintain a higher torque throughout the RPM range.
  They will also have a higher peak torque for a given power output.
• Efficiency. Electric outboards operate at about 80% efficiency, with about 20% being lost as heat.
  With petrol outboards, only about 25% of the energy converts to propulsion, with about 75% lost as heat.;
• Emissions. Electric outboards have no noxious emissions, (and we’re not talking about CO₂).
  Small petrol motors generate lots of noxious emissions, including unburnt hydrocarbons, SO₂, and NO_x.
  This is why the sale of new two-stroke motors have been banned in Australia.
• Noise. Electric outboard motors operate at much lower noise levels than petrol motors.
  This is especially true and further reduced when the motor unit is immersed underwater.
• Complexity. Electric outboard motors have very few moving parts. they are direct drive, where torque depends on current. Whereas small petrol engines, especially four-stroke ones, have an excessive number of parts, for their small size.
• Power. Larger petrol engines (of 50hp or more) have the advantage of the power to get watercraft planing at high speeds.

This is why electric outboards on more than 20hp power rating are not common.

The power characteristics of electric outboard motors are very different to those of shaft driven petrol outboard.

As mentioned above, the torque/RPM profile is different to start with.

And it has been found that the typical chassis seen with petrol outboards is not very suitable for conversion to electric motor use.

The traditional chassis was found to vibrate excessively when electric motors are fitted, and so a new design approach was required.

The traditional design approach of the 48V-02×2 electric has the performance enhancing features as mentioned above.
But since it relatively low power, it does not experience the issues mentioned with excessive vibration.

And it has also allowed the removal of certain features that contribute little or nothing to the motor performance.

The motorzoo 48V-02×2 electric outboard is the largest of our budget range of electric outboard motors:

• The 48V-02×2 has a power rating of 2.2 kilowatts.
• The motor draws a peak current of 45 Amps, and so requires a battery of sufficient voltage to meet these requirements.
• This is why uses a 48V (48 Volt) Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LiFePO₄) power supply.

It is important that the battery power supply is able to deliver the peak current of the electric motor that it powers.
Otherwise there could be damage to the battery management system.

• A 30 Amp hour (48v30Ah) LiFePO₄ Battery will typically be able to deliver a peak current of 60 Amps.
• Therefore, a minimum of one 48v30Ah battery would be required for the 48V-02×2 motor.
• The single 30Ah battery will deliver peak current of 45A for about 40 minutes
• (Note that this represents the minimum operating time, as it assumes full throttle for the whole time.)

Operating Safety