SD saildrives (SD6 – SD15)
Saildrive sailboats on a 48 V system, roughly 4 to 12 tonnes.
48 V only, so above about 10 kW the DC current gets heavy — size cables and busbars for it.
The motor decides most of the system around it: its system voltage sets the battery and charger, and its drive type — saildrive, shaft or pod — decides how much of the old installation you keep.
These are the inboard and pod lines from three makers of complete electric drives for sailboats and displacement boats. The figures are the makers' own; where a maker doesn't state something, the table says so.
Don't know your figures? Size your boat in the configurator — it works out power, voltage, pack size and phase current from your hull and target speed.
Oceanvolt SD saildrives (SD6 – SD15) | Oceanvolt AXC shaft drives (AXC12 – AXC36) | Torqeedo Cruise 12.0 FP (fixed pod) | ePropulsion I-Series (I-10, I-20, I-40) | Torqeedo Deep Blue 25i / 50i 1200 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive | Saildrive (folding propeller) | Shaft drive | Fixed pod through the hull | Inboard | Inboard, shaft |
| Continuous power | 6, 8, 10, 12 kW (SD15: 15 kW peak) | 12, 24, 36 kW (peak 15, 30, 45 kW) | 12 kW input (6 kW on one battery) | 10, 20, 40 kW input | 27.6 kW (25i) · 55.1 kW (50i) |
| System voltage | 48 V | 48 V (modular 12 kW motors) | 48 V | 86–115 V DC (96 V class) | 348–352 V battery (high voltage) |
| Cooling | Air (SD6, SD8) · liquid (SD10, SD15) | Liquid | Not stated | Air (I-10) · water, air optional (I-20, I-40) | Sea water |
| Regeneration under sail | Yes — hydrogeneration standard | Yes — hydrogeneration standard | Yes — charges while sailing | Yes — integrated hydrogeneration | Not stated |
| Motor weight | 42.5–46.5 kg | 44, 88, 132 kg | 33.5 kg | 45, 49.5, 85 kg | 80 kg (without battery and electronics) |
| Maker's boat guidance | Up to 15 m / 12,000 kg (SD15) | Up to 16 m / 30,000 kg (AXC36) | Sailboats up to 12 t | Not stated | Displacement boats; 40 / 80 hp comparable |
Scroll sideways on a phone. “Not stated” means the manufacturer's page doesn't give the figure.
6–12 kW continuous with folding props and hydrogeneration, for boats up to 12 t.
12 kW pod for sailboats up to 12 t, sold as a system with Torqeedo batteries.
Modular 12–36 kW shaft drive for boats up to 16 m and 30 t.
The only line here built for 96 V, with hydrogeneration on every model.
27.6 or 55.1 kW continuous on a ~350 V battery system.
Saildrive sailboats on a 48 V system, roughly 4 to 12 tonnes.
48 V only, so above about 10 kW the DC current gets heavy — size cables and busbars for it.
Shaft-drive boats on 48 V that need more than a saildrive offers — larger cruisers, catamarans, displacement motorboats.
At 24–36 kW on 48 V the battery current runs to many hundreds of amps; Oceanvolt limits its systems to 48 V by design.
Sailboats up to 12 t that suit a pod — a self-contained Torqeedo system with its own batteries and display.
Designed around Torqeedo Power 48-5000 batteries (one or two; contact a dealer for more), so the battery choice is largely made for you.
96 V systems from about 10 to 40 kW, where the higher voltage roughly halves the current of a 48 V system.
A 96 V system sits in a higher DC hazard class than 48 V, with stricter installation, labelling and isolation requirements.
Heavy displacement boats and commercial use where 25–55 kW is needed and a high-voltage system is acceptable.
A ~350 V system needs high-voltage installation practice and a qualified installer — a different class of project from 48 V.
Questions
Figures checked on 22 October 2026 against these manufacturer documents. Makers change specifications; confirm against the current datasheet before you buy.
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