Propel’s debut electric outboard motor scoops esteemed Red Dot Design Award

• The S1 – Propel’s breakthrough electric outboard motor – wins the prestigious Red Dot Award

• Established in 2021, Propel is developing zero-emission all-electric propulsion solutions for the marine industry

• Red Dot win helps establish Propel’s position at the forefront of marine innovation in terms of sustainability, design and user experience

Amsterdam, 16 June 2022 – Propel, the high-tech marine innovator, has won the illustrious Red Dot Design Award for its breakthrough electric outboard motor – the S1.

The Red Dot accolade underlines Propel’s innovative, design-led approach that focuses on delivering a better user experience, as well as delivering more efficient electric power. In the short time since the company’s formation late last year, it has nearly completed development of the S1, the first of a range of clean and sustainable propulsion mobility solutions for the marine sector. The award-winning S1 outboard motor is in the validation trial phase and is already generating rapidly growing customer and industry interest.

The S1 was designed in partnership with Ko:work, an Eindhoven-based specialist industrial design agency, and DentsuAchtung!, a creative agency in Amsterdam.

The electric outboard motor’s design follows classic Dutch aesthetics: it exhibits a simple, quirky style, with clean, uncluttered lines. The partners were involved from the earliest stages of the S1’s product development cycle so that design was integral throughout.

The S1 is deliberately devoid of brash logos, names and power labels. The unit’s round casing, high above the waterline, follows the form of the Saietta Axial Flux Technology (AFT) ‘pancake’ motor inside. Discreet ‘Propel’ branding is embossed into the white casing. Customers can choose to their own styling accent with a choice of a Satin Silver, Sage Green or Nordic White finish to the shaft.

Propel focused extensively on the S1’s user experience.

The motor is started with a simple flick of a switch. The colour display on the tiller gives owners all the information users need to safely enjoy their time on the water. The display’s clear and simple animated graphics makes using the S1 easy even for those with minimal boating experience, and a great choice for rental fleet operators.

With a closed-loop cooling system, the S1 requires minimal maintenance.

Sander van Dijk, Propel’s managing director, said: “Our designers and engineers were tasked with creating a simple and robust electric outboard motor".

“Simplicity makes the motor accessible to a wide audience, optimised for low maintenance and the design language suits a wide variety of vessels. Robustness translates into critical components that sit above the waterline and parts that can be easily replaced. After all, repairability is the key to creating a truly sustainable product".

“Winning this award is an important moment for all of us at Propel. We’re still a young company –the new kids on the dock– so we are proud to be recognized for a design that creates a better user experience that adds value for our customers".

“Our propulsion innovations will help bring about sustainable and zero-emission mobility across the industry,” concluded van Dijk.

Propel was founded in 2021 by UK-based Saietta Group plc, specialists in providing high-tech advanced e-mobility propulsion solutions. Propel’s mission is to electrify marine propulsion as the sector faces the introduction of more stringent emissions regulations, such as the banning of internal combustion engines (ICE) on Amsterdam’s waterways from 2025.

The S1 uses a variant of Saietta’s zero-emission AFT 140 motor. The AFT 140 motor generates 10kW of continuous output from a 48V battery. The combination of the S1 and the company’s in-house designed propeller result in 3.75kW of propulsive power, which is roughly equivalent to a 25hp conventional combustion outboard.

Not only is the electric motor a more efficient solution in comparison to its ICE counterparts, but it also offers a more refined experience when fitted to any waterway vessel thanks to a near-silent electric powertrain.

Propel’s award-winning S1 outboard motor will be on show at the Electric and Hybrid Marine Technology expo in Amsterdam, Netherlands on June 21-23.