Torqeedo Travel 903 1103 & NEW XP Electric Outboard Motors

Torqeedo Travel 603, 903, 1103 & NEW XP Electric Outboard Motors

The Torqeedo 603, 903 & 1103 are high quality German-made portable electric outboard motors with lightweight lithium ion batteries. They are easy to use, easy to handle/store, and incredibly quiet.

NEW 2024! 1.6kW Torqeedo Travel XP now in stock… see bottom of page.

Torqeedo kickstarted the electric outboard market when they put a lightweight, rechargeable, and waterproof lithium battery roughly where you’d expect the fuel tank to be on a petrol outboard. With no need for a separate heavy “car battery” to manhandle and put elsewhere in the boat, the “Torqeedo Travel 1003” made the idea of “going electric” much more appealing and viable to a larger segment of the boating market. They sold like the proverbial warm carbohydrates. And, as is usually the case with electronics, their latest models, the 603, 903 & 1103 – and the newly-announced, more powerful, Torqeedo Travel XP – are even quieter, more refined and more robust than the original, with much larger battery capacities too. However there is no point trying to hide the fact that Torqeedo no longer have this market to themselves; if you have not already seen it please also read our Epropulsion Spirit motor page.

Both manufacturers make portable electric outboards with lithium battery packs, and power capacities from 0.6 to 1.6kW. The 1kW models are roughly equivalent, in terms of what they achieve on the water, to 3hp petrol outboards. But much easier to use, quieter, cleaner and easier to store. The advantages are so significant that it’s now difficult to think of a reason to buy a small petrol motor.

As of June 2024 we are still the largest UK dealer (by units sold) for Torqeedo and Epropulsion electric outboard motors. There are many similarities between the two, and some important differences. We use them both regularly for our personal boating, and it’s only by stocking both brands we believe we can listen to you and recommend the one that will suit you best (rather than being a single brand dealer and forced to try and sell you that one).

Torqeedo 1103, 903 & 603 electric outboards highlights (for new Torqeedo Travel XP pictures scroll to bottom of page):

• High Power. 1600W or 1100W for the new Travel models; 1100W for 1103, 900W for 903, and 600W for 603. Apart from the ePropulsions, almost all other portable electric outboards are classed as “trolling motors”.
• VERY EASY to Use.Twist and go; no messing with a choke, pulling starting cord, or spilling petrol, etc.
• No Carburettor to “gum up” when stored. (The most common problem with small petrol outboards.)
• LIGHTWEIGHT. Total assembled weight is 17kg for the 903 (900W motor, 916Wh battery capacity), 20kg for the Travel (1100W, 1080Wh battery), and 22kg for the Travel XP (1600W/1425Wh) Travel XP. All have easily removable batteries, leaving the heaviest, main shaft, part at ~11kg.
• IP67 Waterproof, so even if you submerse them (up to 1m) they still work. Yes we’ve tried it, much to the astonishment of onlookers!
• Built-in GPS & Digital Display (colour on XP), showing battery charge state, speed, range and power draw.
• QUIET! Where the ePropulsion Spirits are very quiet, the Torqeedo 903 at 33db is roughly equivalent to a human whisper (effectively silent in water). NB if you have seen the similar looking predecessor (now discontinued) 503/1003 motors, these had quite a distinctive loud “whine”, but this is a thing of the past. The XP seems to be slightly noisier but still very quiet.
• Integral Battery, much like the fuel tank on a small petrol outboard.

We usually have stock: come and see a Torqeedo Travel, and the rival ePropulsion Spirit, talk about them, touch them, and so on – then make a decision and take one away the same day if you want to! Contact us to arrange a time/date: Mobile – 07768 600595 Tel – 0800 999 2535 (FREE from UK landlines) Email – nestawayboats@yahoo.com

We have often heard of people being told their Torqeedo (1103) is equal to a 3hp petrol outboard. We consider that to be slightly misleading if you take it literally, as a 3hp petrol motor will get many small, lightly loaded craft of the right hull form “on the plane”, and a Torqeedo 1103 won’t. The propeller supplied is not even designed for that sort of speed (it’s rated 9kmph at 790W, or about 5.5 knots flat out).

Where the Torqeedos excel is pushing surprisingly heavy loads (when the 3hp petrol wouldn’t get you on the plane anyway) at up-to-displacement speeds. They’re more than happy pushing a 9ft inflatable dinghy with 4 people in it at about 5 knots, for example. And we’ve also had an 1103 pushing a two-tonne yacht along surprisingly effectively, up to speeds of about 4.5 knots.

So we’d happily say the Torqeedo 1103 is equivalent to a 3hp petrol outboard, possibly even superior for the way most people use them most of the time, but not equal. The 603 is more akin to a 2hp petrol outboard motor, and the 903 somewhere in the middle.

The acceleration up to those displacement speeds is also impressive, as electric motors (unlike petrol ones) generate full torque from very low revs. So the Torqeedo outboards have lots of low to mid-range push, but not the whizzy top end of a petrol. Unlike “trolling motors” they will be genuinely useful as a main propulsion unit – just not for anything much over 5 knots (10kmph).

The 903 at 900W has 10% less power than the ePropulsion Spirit PLUS/EVO but Torqeedo’s specification and our own trials on several dinghies do not suggest any significant difference in top speed. At this sort of power it’s more about hull shape/length, because whilst 500W will get a 2.5m dinghy to 4 knots, 1000W is only about half a knot faster. So similarly the new 1100W Travel is “not much different”.

However the new Torqeedo Travel XP has a 1600W motor (60% more than eProp Spirits) and this is enough to make a noticeable difference… how much faster will depend on the boat but we reckon about 20% so far (5.5 knots instead of 4.5 knots on a SpearFish 520, for example).

The lithium battery supplied with the “Power” version of the new Torqeedo XP has a capacity of 1425Wh. We believe this to be the largest integrated battery outboard capacity on the market. Watt hours are the lowest common denominator of battery capacity; “amp hours” really does not tell you anything without the voltage. But if you are used to thinking in (12V) amp hours (Ah) then 1425Wh is the equivalent of 119 amp hours at 12V. Lithium battery amp hours are all usable (unlike the 50% or so for lead acid batteries) so if you want to compare it to a “car battery” it is roughly equivalent to the usable capacity of a 240Ah 12V lead acid battery.

If you’re running a Torqeedo XP (1.6kW version) with the 1425Wh battery flat out you will get approx 53 minutes run time. BUT, if you’re after 4-4.5 knots in a typical inflatable dinghy that probably only needs about 500W… and then you’d get nearly 3 hours. So a range of 12-13 nautical miles (~25km). Whilst that is not enough for everybody it is enough for a lot of users, and if you slow down a bit more the range increases significantly again. The amount of power needed to go a bit faster – or the amount of power saved if you go a bit slower – is exponential.

The Torqeedo 903 & 1103 models have a 916Wh battery. So taking that 500W as our typical running power, you get just under 2 hours run time.

Typical yacht tender users therefore find the Torqeedo 1103 and 903 have a realistic range of 8-10 nautical miles, if they’re happy with 4 to 4.5 knots. At 2 knots the range is meant to be huge, but we’ve never had the patience to find out!

The Torqeedo 603 has a 500Wh battery with different internal architecture, weighing just 4kg (and floats!). If we go with 500W again, then it will last an hour. The range at the same speed will be 55% of that you could achieve with the 1103’s larger battery. Let’s say 5 nautical miles for the typical yacht tender user (which is still quite a lot).

As “range anxiety” is usually the main worry for those new to electric power, the digital display is very reassuring. Range is inversely related to speed, so if you have further to go than currently indicated, simply slow down until the range increases to the required distance. As a further precaution an alarm sounds as you pass below 30% capacity, with the display flashing a recommendation to slow down. Because they are lithium manganese based, the full capacity can be used without detriment to the battery lifetime (unlike lead acid batteries, which dislike being discharged more than 40-50%). You can also buy another battery of course!

THEY’RE WATERPROOF…

Perfect for use on a dayboat or dinghy – even if you capsize whilst sailing the motor will still work afterwards, to get you home (when you’re cold and and wet and have had enough!). And with the 4-10kg (depending on model) battery taken off (which can then be stored anywhere convenient) what’s left is lighter than any petrol outboard on the market today (about 11kg for the new 603 & 1103), so will have less effect on your boat’s fore/aft trim.

HANDLING / STORAGE

All Torqeedo Travel motors have an easy-to-remove battery, making handling much easier. The “old-series” (still being made) 903CS with 916Wh battery weighs approx 37-lb (17kg) in total, of which 13-lb (6kg) is the battery, and 24-lb (11kg) is the motor/shaft. The tiller is also removable. So the most you ever need to manhandle is 24-lb, much less than any petrol outboard. 

The new XP, 1600W motor with1425Wh battery, weighs 22kg in total – but again because the battery is removable that weight can be split in two for easier handing up/down. The 1100W/1080Wh battery version is about 2kg lighter (the difference being in the battery).

Also, unlike (four stroke) petrol motors, you don’t have to worry about laying them down on one side, or getting them wet, which makes passing them around, and storage, much easier. Plus the relative silence, ease of use, lack of pollution, not spilling petrol everywhere… there are also optional bags for storing and carrying your Travel motor. Well in fact two bags, one for the motor and one for the battery – so if you have two batteries there’s a nice protective bag to keep the spare in whilst underway.

Torqeedo have been making electric outboard motors called “Travel xxxx” since 2008. Here is a summary of the major changes (there have been lots of smaller ones) and approx dates.

Nov 2023: XP range introduced. BIG CHANGE! Whilst bearing some visual similarity with previous models these have significantly higher power outputs (up to 1.6kW) and battery capacities (up to 1425Wh). They also have a click-in battery (no cables to connect), colour display, and Bluetooth connectivity. The 903 continues as a “budget option” but 603 and 1103 discontinued (although you may still find some old/display/demo stock about).

Sept 2023: 903 introduced. This is a downrated version of the 1103 but with the same capacity (916Wh battery) and some cosmetic changes (black paint), at a slightly lower price.

Jan 2021: 603 introduced. This is a downrated version of the 1103, to fill the hole left by the old 503. Supplied with a 500Wh battery.

Dec 2020: 1003 & 503 models discontinued…. BIG CHANGE! The direct-drive 1103 (introduced 2019) continues unchanged into 2021. The end of the 503 & 1003 was an end to the gearbox whine and very weak shear pin you may still sometimes hear about, but these issues do not affect any current (as of 2024) Torqeedo Travel outboard (903, XP etc).