Why the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus is a better choice

Why is the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus better than Newport NT300 electric outboard motor? Small electric outboard motors are becoming more prevalent and very well suited for certain applications. 3 hp motors like the epropulsion are well suited for electric only lakes and reservoirs as well as dinghy and yacht tender applications. Here's my take on my time with Newport NT300 compared to the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus 3 hp electric outboard motor which might be the best small electric outboard motor available today.

In this video I am comparing an ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus electric outboard motor to the Newport NT300 electric outboard motor. If you're shopping for small electric outboard motors for boats in the 3 hp equivalent range there are four primary contenders at the moment from these brands: ePropulsion, Newport, Torqeedo and Mercury.

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I will be making more videos with the 3 horsepower equivalent electric ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus as well as the Newport NT 300 putting both of these electric outboards through their paces and using them regularly on my boats to evaluate speed, run time, reliability, quality and usability.

00:00 Introduction
01:53 Price and weight comparison between the ePropulsion Spirit and Newport NT300
03:39 What makes the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus better than a Newport NT300?
06:21 Addressing the proprietary battery concerns with small electric outboards
07:20 My conclusions based on my experience with the Newport NT300 compared to ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus electric outboard motors

I was provided the Newport NT300 and the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus electric outboard motors used in this video. I am under no obligation from the manufacturers or distributors to produce content or endorse their products. Any opinions or recommendations provided are completely my own and based on my own research and experiences with these products.

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#epropulsion #electricoutboard #epropulsionspiritplus

[thomaswalters]

After researching all the electric motors, I purchased a E-Prolusion Spirit 1.0 Plus from Tiny Nation late last year. The weather just turned nice, and I went out on the lake. I love this motor all I hear is the water. I have a 16.5 ft lowe canoe with transit and I get 6 to 8 MPH in it at full power. I have been out 5 to 6 hours, and it gets me to the fishing spot and trolling and come home with plenty of power left on the battery.

[TRzest]

I have an ePropulsion outboard. I am pleased you could see that 'hey, this is different'. I am sure in a few years, Newport and ePropulsion will look ridiculously slow when later generations arrive, but this is what we have now. Perfect for a tender or in-harbour travel.

[bryanswaykoski]

Thank you for the video. I'm trying to decide what electric outboard to buy for our inflatable. By the way, thank you for wearing the pfd. I feel that too many boaters not wearing pfds in videos is spending the message that one isn't needed. Too many senseless drownings every year because of no pfd.

[LizIsRating]

this series about the electric motors had me hooked. I don't even have a boat :D Very interesting!

[klausspunkmeyer]

Good review. I like the fact that I could keep a third party battery as an emergency spare for the Spirit 1.0. That makes for a real level of comfort for me, I wouldn't want to fork over all of that cash for an additional Spirit battery. The cable cost would just be negligible in comparison. Let''s see how you make out with your next set of trials. Love your stuff Wayne. Thanks a ton for taking the time to get this to us.

[javacup]

I've done much research of electric boat motors, and the E-Propulsion is certainly high on my list, and now ever more that I learned a third party battery can be used, with the addional cable, for a spare, or extended dinghy cruising. Thank you.

[mikedrake]

After your Newport video I was really considering an Electric motor as a kicker to troll for trout. After doing some research and obviously the pros and cons i went with an 8hp TOHATSU with electric start and a charging system. The technology is close for those of us who are trollers however its still lacks in my opinion for what I would use it for. Great videos Wayne!

[transsib]

Great video, as always. I have to admit, that even though I'm cheap and would like the longer range of the NT300 in combination with, let's say, a 36V 100 Ah battery, I am leaning towards the more expensive Spirit 1.0. The main reason is that I prefer to have an integrated battery over a separate battery which is taking up space in the already tiny dinghy. That the Spirit appears to be better made and that it shows all the relevant information on its display is another huge plus.

[markmoffett]

That's an awesome little motor . Thanks for bringing this to my attention and thanks again for another great video. Beautiful backdrop and surroundings for your videos.
Mark from harford County

[BrooklynAvenue]

Epropulsion, I've used it for years. Terrific an reliable. I have the model with remote control, and it allows for use with steering. Fun!

[Webcrawler]

Have a 6.0 Navy on my Electric pontoon boat. I really like it...

[Mega]

while is see what they are doing with electric. it also sucks because many places are forcing you to use electric or banning gas motors all together. with that i will never own a fully electric outboard or support their purchase. great video as always though Wayne your content is top tier.

[robertdillon]

Thank you Wayne for the review. Very helpful! I have a question: On the TBNation site there are differences in the shaft length (Extra Short 20.67", Short 24.6", and Long 29.5"). If I put this electric motor on a Pelican Intruder 12' Boat, to be used in a sandy bottom lake in Michigan, which shaft length to buy?

[karlberardi]

Hi, up here in New England, where the season is short, any problem with a small outboard is ALWAYS FUEL. The advantage to just throwing a switch is obvious. Im beginning to see a few dinghies powered with electrics. For now they’re pretty much theft proof as any erstwhile small motor thief wouldn’t be caught dead with one. 😊

[stephenwinter]

Greetings from southern Ontario Canada I really enjoyed the video i have an outboard motor fully electric at 150hp through my local marina so i can't help out

[bizboomer]

Perhaps it would be helpful to compare the mechanical side of each motor: propeller hub @ shear pin - metal or plastic?, etc.. Since Newport V sold EPropulsion motors, it struck me when NV introduced theirs, that it may be a private label EProp unit. They also could have copied Epro with another manufacturer.

[AbbyNormalGarage]

I still don’t see the advantage. Your 2 stroke 3.3 mercury weighs 27 lbs. add in 16 pounds for a 2 gallon can your still 10 pounds lighter for same HP. When it runs out of gas you can refill it in less than 5 mins. In addition the price difference. New those 3.3’s were less than 1K. Even the fail stroke 3.5 is $1029 as of 8/21/23. So you end up paying 1K more for something that’s heavier, filled with techno junk, less run time, uses proprietary batteries and the only Pro is it’s quieter? Not to mention water and electronics don’t mix. What happens if this sinks? In salt water it’s fried. Your 2 stroke on the other hand. Pull the plug, crank the water out, make sure there’s no water in the fuel and your good to go.

[jamesmoore]

The newport is still better for a kayak... absolutely agree with everything you said though.

[pwolkowicki]

Why are electric motors SO expensive? They were supposed to be cheaper than ICE due to simplicity of design and production !

[crestedcarvings]

EP has the edge for sure, but no matter how you slice it, that motor is designed to run with that battery attached on the unit. You say it can run third party, but isn't it a very specific voltage? 36v is becoming very popular in the industry (Old Town ePDL uses that platform if I'm not mistaken). Do you remove the 20lb battery when connecting to the larger one? Does that leave the terminals exposed on the main unit or do you leave both connected? I would bet any amount of money that Torqeedo and EP come out with a similar version of the NT300 that is just the motor and connections.