Dr. Christoph Ballin had just begun his new job as CEO of Gardena, a manufacturer of garden equipment in Munich, Germany, when he came across a vacation home on Lake Starnberg, which is about 16 miles south of the city. He had visions of plying the lake’s waters in a sleek powerboat, but there was one problem: Internal combustion engines were heavily restricted on the lake.
Instead, Ballin bought a small wooden boat and jury-rigged an electric motor for propulsion. One day in 2005, when his colleague, Dr. Friedrich Böbel, dropped by for tea, he told Ballin that his one-off electric outboard was “old technology” and that Ballin could do better.
This simple afternoon conversation was the beginning of what is, today, arguably the best-known name in electric marine propulsion: Torqeedo. The two men decided there was a market for small electric boat motors.
Eighteen years later, Torqeedo makes electric propulsion systems for boats ranging from 1 to 80 hp equivalents. In 2022, the company built 53,414 units, a 32.2% increase compared with the previous year. While electrification has become a hot topic in the past five to 10 years, and many new players have entered the market, Torqeedo has more than a decade’s head start on its competition. It also has a new CEO, Fabian Bez, who took over last October.
“Torqeedo’s biggest strength is the trust, professionalism and brand reputation we’ve built over 18 years,” Bez told Soundings Trade Only. “The industry counts on us to deliver a reliable, comprehensive product, and we’re well-positioned to continue to do so.”
Torqeedo holds more than 250 patents for electric propulsion, and the company has already worked through many of the growing pains that other manufacturers in the segment have yet to experience or are just starting to deal with. “Torqeedo is the most advanced, proven, reliable electric motor on the market,” says Chick Shifrin, founder of Columbia Marine in Columbia, Conn. “I’ve been with them probably longer than anyone in the country.”
Shifrin’s company became a Torqeedo dealer in 2008 because lakes in the Columbia area banned internal combustion engines. Columbia Marine was also an early adopter of pontoon boats, powering them with Torqeedo motors. “There’s a lot of new companies coming out, and I know over 15 years, it took Torqeedo awhile to get bugs worked out of things,” Shifrin says.
On the other side of the country at Boat Specialists in Ventura, Calif., sales manager Kevin Schank says one experience-based advantage Torqeedo has is how quiet its motors are. “They have worked out a lot of the kinks that some of these new companies might be coming into,” Schank says. “Even the sound, Torqeedo has put in a lot of time dampening it.”
Investing in the Future
In 2022, Torqeedo committed to its future, opening an 89,340-square-foot headquarters that houses the offices and production outside Munich. “Having every function of the company — administration, R&D, management and production — under one roof and working more closely together has proven incredibly valuable,” Bez says.
The company has approximately 250 employees, and Torqeedo is active in more than 100 countries through dealerships, distributors and service partners. About 70 of those employees are engineers focused on new-product development. “We are also shifting from simply being the best component and system provider to looking into software and service solutions, and how we can be better and more holistically support our partners and customers,” Bez says.
Shifrin says Torqeedo has also made sure it can service its products. “I didn’t want to sell an electric motor if I couldn’t repair it at my facility,” he says. “Torqeedo was the only one willing to come to our facility.”
The most popular Torqeedo product is the company’s first motor, the Travel, which is offered in two models: the Travel 1103 C and Travel 603. These motors come with a lithium-ion battery and a built-in computer with GPS. The outboards float, have direct drive and are relatively light, with the 603 weighing 34.2 pounds and the 500-watt-hour battery checking in at 9.3 pounds. The 1103 weighs 38 pounds and has a 915-watt-hour battery. Schank says that Boat Specialists sells more Travel motors than any other Torqeedo products.
The Cruise series has been upgraded for 2023. The motors are for sail- and powerboat applications up to 12 tons in a variety of shaft lengths. Output ranges from 6- to 25-hp equivalents with remote- and tiller-control options. Among the upgrades for the series are helical gears to provide quieter operation.
Torqeedo’s smallest motors make up the three-model Ultralight series. They are available in 1- and 3-hp equivalent outputs. The lightest one weighs 19.4 pounds, and they are intended primarily for use on kayaks and similar-size vessels.
At the other end of the power spectrum are the Deep Blue 25- and 50-kW outboards that Torqeedo says have outputs equivalent to 40 and 80 hp, respectively. They are fully integrated energy management systems and can be customized with modular components, such as instruments, remote controls and more.
Torqeedo also offers 25- and 50-kW inboards for pushing heavier boats at slow speeds, and for planing boats with higher cruising speeds. The Saildrive is a 25-kW package specifically for sailboats, and the Deep Blue Hybrid is for yachts up to 120 feet.
Torqeedo’s biggest experience-based advantage may be with its batteries. They’re all lithium-based and are available in 24-, 48- and 360 volts. The smallest battery has a capacity of 3,500 watt-hours. Next up is 5,000 watt-hours, followed by the Deep Blue Battery 40 that the company developed with BMW. It has a 38-kWh capacity. Battery management systems have redundant safety features, and the batteries are made with welded steel cylinders. Torqeedo batteries are waterproof to the IP67 rating, which means they can resist immersion in up to 3 feet of water. Spare batteries for the Ultralight and Travel series are also available.
Accessories include carrying bags for the smaller motors and the TorqTrac app that can turn a smartphone into a display for motor and battery information. A 50-watt solar charger is available for the Travel and Ultralight series, and Torqeedo offers a variety of additional charging options.
Conceptions and Realities
In most cases, electric boat engines are more expensive than their gasoline equivalents, but proponents of electric propulsion say things balance out over the long haul. “For most customers, going electric isn’t a price decision,” Bez says. “It’s all about improving their time on the water. Electric drives are clean, quiet, start every time and never leak or stink.”
Like companies in virtually every other industry, Torqeedo has faced supply-chain issues in recent years. Bez says the company is working hard to get caught up.
Responding to the notion that the mining of materials such as lithium and cobalt produces more carbon-dioxide emissions than power sources being eliminated by using electric power, Bez says, “It’s a myth.” He referred to a U.S. Department of Energy study that estimated using the current mix of renewables and fossil-fuel generated power, electric vehicles on average emit about 3,900 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, including mining emissions. “That’s compared to 11,500 pounds for a gasoline-powered car,” Bez says. “As the grid transitions to more renewables, the comparisons become even better. For the first time, in 2022, renewable energy sources created more energy than came from coal.”
He also says there aren’t yet enough lithium batteries aging out of use to build a recycling system. “As that changes, our reliance on extractive sources of these metals will decrease, and environmental performance will improve,” Bez says.
Realistic Applications
The Torqeedo CEO also says he is realistic about electric power’s limits. “Large or fast boats consume an incredible amount of energy,” he says. “Currently, 100% electric solutions are best suited for motorboats and sailboats up to around 40 feet. For oceangoing vessels or boats that need to go farther, faster, a hybrid solution is worth exploring.”
While some new companies seem focused on making the biggest or fastest electric motors, Torqeedo’s aim is to provide complete systems for a broader audience. “Prototypes are fun to build and certainly grab attention for a startup company, but our goal is to improve the boating experience and get more people out on the water,” Bez says.
He doesn’t see headwinds holding back electric propulsion. Instead, he says, a “significant tailwind” is the company’s biggest challenge. “Customer interest is exploding. The industry is moving quickly to adopt electrification, whether it’s developing their own systems or working with Torqeedo to integrate our solutions into their product lineup. We are surfing a huge wave of excitement, but how do we make sure we stay on top of the water?”
To maintain its position among the leaders in electric propulsion, Torqeedo has invested in its production infrastructure. “We believe the new structure of two business units will ensure we have the right products, skills and services to connect with the boaters of today,” Bez says.
Building a Culture
Torqeedo chose the Munich area because it is something of a hotbed for the automotive and electrification industries. When he took over, Bez called cultural transformation one of his highest priorities. “The company is filled with bright, enthusiastic people who care deeply about making boating better,” he says. “We are working to define and communicate our core brand values and build a company that fully lives up to them.”
Bez’s first pillar in that effort is “joy and excitement.” He wants employees “to come to work every day excited to be part of a company that’s challenging the status quo and building a better way to boat.”
The second pillar is products made with functionality, practicality and efficiency as the top priorities. “We can rely on each other to do our jobs, and our customers can rely on our products,” Bez says.
The third and final pillar is respect and responsibility. “We want Torqeedo to be a company you want to work for and a product you’re proud to own because it supports the health of the people who use it and the people who build it.”
While other manufacturers talk about sustainability initiatives, Bez says, Torqeedo is its own initiative. “We build emissions-free drive systems that don’t pollute the beautiful places where we enjoy using our boats,” he says. “Everything we do is geared toward building a more sustainable industry.”
The Future
Bez says recreational boating is looking at electrification as part of the future. Many boatbuilders are offering electric options, batteries continue to improve, and the infrastructure is being developed to support electric propulsion. “We will gain more market share in those segments where we already provide solutions,” Bez says.
He added that renewable on-board energy generation, including solar and hydrogeneration, will become more efficient and offer more opportunities to extend a boat’s range. Torqeedo’s hydrogeneration system for sailboats adjusts several times per minute. On the Excess 15 sailing catamaran, the boat generates about 75% of its daily load consumption while underway. Torqeedo is also integrating hydrogen fuel cells into its Deep Blue system architecture.
For Torqeedo’s future, Bez says, the company wants to create a boating experience without limits. “Nothing separates you from the experience. No fuel, no noise, no smell, no anxiety.”
This article was originally published in the May 2023 issue.
