Yanmar Marine has launched the E-Saildrive, its first electric propulsion product. Revealed at the Cannes Yachting Festival in Cannes, France, the drive provides up to 15kW (approximately 20 hp) of power.
“The launch of the E-Saildrive is a significant moment in our aim to reduce the environmental impact of sailing,” director of sales and marketing Floris Lettinga said in a statement. “Our integrated system has a host of innovative features to provide boaters an easy switch to 100% emission-free sailing. We are confident in the E-Saildrive’s engineering and will work with our network of dealers and distributors to ensure that technical support is available worldwide.”
The E-Saildrive is available in SDe7, SDe10 and SDe15 models for sailboats up to 40 feet. It is a drop-in replacement for a Yanmar YM engine without hull modifications.