By: Scott Way
The marine industry was on notice today with the announcement from Mercury Marine of their new electric outboard - the Avator.
The new Avator comes on the heels of Mercury's announcement in May at their Investor's Day that they intended to have an operational fleet of electric outboards by 2023.
The new motor was released at the Miami International Boat Show to a large crowd, and will have an even larger impact on the industry moving forward.
As one of the industry's largest entities, Brunswick Corporation, who own Mercury Marine, also own other major brands including Sea Ray, Boston Whaler, Harris, Lund, Bayliner, and Princecraft.
“We are excited to formally announce this bold new phase of our vision for the future,” Mercury Marine president Chris Drees said in a statement. “Electrification is strategically important to us, and this concept provides a first look at how we intend to deliver on our commitment to being the industry leader in both internal combustion products and electric propulsion.”
The essence of the Avator is a removable, portable, fast-charging battery pack that disconnects from the transom fitting. The details so far are limited, but it appears Mercury is set to expand the Avator line to include five variations. It is expected orders can begin being placed in fall 2022, with first deliveries occurring in the first quarter of 2023.
“Mercury has the industry’s strongest and most robust technology and design teams who are shaping a new power for marine that expands the brand into new applications,” said Tim Reid, Mercury Marine vice president of product development & engineering. “We believe features like easily changeable batteries and quiet operation hold great appeal for current and prospective boaters. We expect our breadth of electric offerings to expand over time, and we will continue to listen to consumer feedback and monitor adoption trends.”
The launch of electric outboards by Mercury is part of their larger strategy to reduce outboard emissions by 80% by the year 2025.
You can get the first look at the Avator in the video below:
