The ePropulsion eLite has taken the small dinghy/tender market by storm…
it’s Light, Compact, Easy-to-Use and Excellent Value!  

WE’VE USED ONE A LOT, AND HELPED DESIGN IT… CALL IAN ON 07768 600595 TO FIND OUT MORE!

The ePropulsion eLite is a new entrant to the “ultralight” category of electric outboard motors. We’ll say right up front, in our opinion it’s excellent. It doesn’t quite take the title of lightest – that still goes to the ThrustMe Kicker – but we don’t think many will accuse it of being heavy!

And for many customers the eLite’s 1.5kg weight disadvantage is likely to be a good swap for its extra battery capacity (and corresponding range/run time), and build quality.

Key Specifications/Features of the ePropulsion eLite:
– weight 6.5kg (plus 1.2kg removable bracket)
– power 500W (up to 750W in boost mode)
– battery capacity 378Wh
– daylight-visible digital display with single button operation
– foldable and extendable tiller
– twist grip control of F-N-R and throttle functions
– quick-release clamp bracket

How do you say it?! It’s not immediately obvious but it’s ePropulsion’s intention that you pronounce “eLite” more as “eee-light” than “elite”.

ePropulsion eLite Compared to its Rivals…

The obvious competitors to the ePropulsion eLite, both of which we also sell, are:
– ThrustMe Kicker, which has a 500W motor and 259Wh battery
– TEMO 450, which has a 450W motor and 290Wh battery

So the eLite has roughly 35% more battery capacity than its two main rivals. As they’re all about the same power, and all have very efficient electric motors, that also means the eLite will take you about 35% further (at same speed and load).

So it’s already looking quite good for eLite – which you’d probably expect of a new entrant to the market – and we haven’t even talked about price yet… the eLite is £995 against the ThrustMe at RRP £1250 (often discounted now, can’t think why!) and the Temo at £1499.

The ePropulsion eLite doesn’t quite have everything to itself: ThrustMe is lighter, and the Temo’s mounting/tilting design may have advantages if you do a lot of boating in very shallow water.

As always, when asked “how far will it go?” we can’t answer without quite a lot of other information! Factors that influence range/run time include: speed, load, boat size and hull type, wind, waves and current…

But what we can say is that the eLite will run flat out – at 500W – for 45mins (the battery has a capacity of 378Wh). And that on a typical inflatable dinghy with two adults in it that equates to about 4 knots, so range flat out is about 3 nautical miles (quite a lot for a dinghy). The same boat will still be doing about 3 knots at 250W, when you get 1.5hrs run time ie about 4.5 nautical miles range.

This won’t be enough for everybody but the ePropulsion eLite works very well for the typical UK yacht tender. From our experience with other electric outboards, a lot of yacht tender users are using somewhere between 250 and 400Wh per day – so the eLite appears to be spot on.

It’s definitely quicker/easier, and with a lot more range, than most people can happily row… and quite possibly – with the quick release bracket – quicker to take on and off than a pair of oars too! It’s also 35% further than the two obvious rivals, Temo 450 and ThrustMe Kicker (with their smaller batteries).

Lastly ePropulsion have given the eLite a boost mode – they actually call it “Sport” but that’s a bit OTT! – where it can run at up to 750W when the battery’s happy (not too hot, cold, or flat). Useful in a strong counter-current for example; the extra 250W does make a genuine difference.

The ePropulsion eLite is available in two shaft lengths, S and L. This can be misleading, particularly “L” which most people assume – not unreasonably! – means “long shaft”. And we are frequently told “Oh no, I won’t need an L shaft for my dinghy”.

But for the eLite, the L option would be better interpreted as “longer than the S… which is really quite short… eLite L is about the same as most outboards call S”. Both are height adjustable and:
– the eLite S suits transom heights of 37cm or less (quite small dinghies)
– the eLite L suits transom heights from 37 to 50cm 

If you’re comparing an ePropulsion eLite to an ePropulsion Spirit then the eLite S at its longest is slightly shorter than a Spirit XS shaft; whilst the eLite L is equivalent to a Spirit (and everybody else’s!) S shaft, adjustable up to 4″ shorter if you wish.

A further point of note is that because they’re height adjustable the eLite L at its shortest is very nearly the same length as the eLite S at its longest (they nearly but don’t quite overlap).

We know this (shaft length issue) can be confusing, and can only apologise. We have tried to get ePropulsion to change it, unsuccessfully so far.

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ePropulsion eLite HISTORY

The ePropulsion eLite was launched in 2024. However we were involved in its development right from the “brainstorm at a boat show” stage in 2022, through the “let’s make it happen” design/spec meeting in China (March 2023), and then the launch marketing at Dusseldorf Boat Show (Jan 2024).

We are pleased to say the development team do listen and it has many specific features we asked for. We’re probably not allowed to say, but many people comment that the eLite looks like XXXXX – a well-known electronics company (that’s named after a fruit) – could have designed it. The eLite really is very good, and has sold like the proverbial hot cakes since day one (they’re often sold out).

You are welcome to come and see the ePropulsion eLite – alongside its Temo and ThrustMe competitors – by appointment at our warehouse in Christchurch.

But it an eLite is not enough power, or doesn’t have enough battery we also offer many larger electric outboard motors, such as: – ePropulsion Spirit PLUS (1kW, 1276Wh battery) – Torqeedo Travel XP (1.6kW, 1425Wh battery) – and much larger, anything up to the ePropulsion X40 (40kW) if you have the right application!