FOND DU LAC, Wis. — A Fond Du Lac Company is in the national spotlight at the Consumer Electrics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week.
Mercury Marine has announced a brand new boat motor, and it's fully electric.
The Avator 7.5e is making its debut at CES which is considered one of the most influential tech events in the world. The Avator is assembled in Wisconsin and Mercury Marine employs about 4,500 people.
Andrew Przybyl is the Techinal Manager of Avator Program and is currently at CES.
"We've had this thin on tiny little inflatables to 16-17 ft. aluminum fishing boats, to these little inflatable boats," Przybyl said of the versatility of the motor.
He said the motor was designed with the environment in mind.
"We do lots of things within the company for sustainability. It's obviously one of our core values and one that we take very seriously," Przybyl said.
This is why the company decided to add an electric motor to its lineup.
According to the environmental protection agency, marine engines are the highest contributors of hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen emissions in many areas across the country. Those emissions can lead to health problems like asthma, lung inflammation, and chest pains.
"It's the cradle-to-grave mentality of 'what do you do with these things when they're done?' And the recyclability, the reuse, the purpose, all of that stuff," Przybyl said. "During the creating, you obviously have the emissions or whatever, but after that, it's basically the electricity used which is much less. For sure the footprint is definitely smaller."
And, because it's electric, the motor also cuts back on noise pollution.
"You can enjoy boating without the noise, you know without having to worry about the thing starting. It's all gone. And it's so easy to use, you click in the battery, you hit a button, and go," he said.
The new motor generates 750W of power and produces a similar speed and acceleration to the Mercury 3.5hp FourStroke outboard, according to a news release.
"We created an entire propulsion system, fully integrated from the advanced controls, props and digital gauges to an all-new mobile app. Every aspect was designed with the same attention to quality, durability and reliability as all Mercury products," said Tim Reid, Mercury Marine vice president of product development and engineering.
Mercury said the new product delivers clean, quiet power and has innovative features that make it easy to use. It has swappable batteries, a quick connect mounting system, and a full-color display that tracks battery level and range.
Mercury Marine plans to launch two more versions of the Avator motor later this year.
More information on Mercury and the new product can be found online here.
CORRECTION: TMJ4 previously reported Mercury Marine employs 45,000 people. That number has been changed to 4,500.
