An electric motor with remote steering and built-in tilt and trim!

 Ilmore is a name well-known in performance racing, both in Indy cars and in offshore powerboat racing. The company also produces specialized high performance engines for recreational boats including some models of Formula and MasterCraft. Racing legend Roger Penske is a partner in the company. 

The Ilmore Ion 6, however, is designed for more sedate use, silently powering sailboats into the harbor or dinghies back and forth to waterfront bars.

A unique feature of the Ion 6, compared to other small electrics, is the included  remote steering and power trim and tilt, which makes it more attractive for use on boats where access to the transom mounting is not easy.

The company says the Ion 6 produces 6 kW of power, or about the equivalent of a 9.9 hp gas outboard.

There’s no question of when the motor is running—light bars on the housing light up, adding a bit of panache as well as safety.

The motor includes ION Vue, its own digital touchscreen helm display, which shows speed, remaining charge and warning alerts. There’s no key—you simply enter a passcode to activate it.

The brushless motor weighs 70 pounds and operates on 48 volts. It’s available in 25, 30 and 35” shaft lengths, and with a 3-blade 10.8” pitch propeller or a 5-blade 8.4” version.

A 4.4 kW lithium-ion battery built to accommodate the Ion is available. (A standard 12-volt 100- amp-hour battery stores about 1.2 kW.)

It includes a battery management system with heater inside the aluminum case. Weight is 32 kg (70.5 lb) 

Tested on a Highfield 360E inflatable, the motor and battery combo produced 17.6 miles at half throttle. 9.3 miles at full throttle, per the company.