Torqeedo Launches Cruise 25R Pod: 25 kW Plug-and-Play Inboard for 8–14 m Sailboats

Torqeedo has officially launched the Cruise 25R Pod, a single-package electric drive that combines a 25 kW continuous (40 kW peak) permanent-magnet synchronous motor, integrated drive leg, and proprietary motor controller in one bolt-in assembly. The unit targets the long-standing gap in Torqeedo's line-up between the 10 kW Cruise outboards/pods and the 50 kW Deep Blue inboards — a power band that covers most sailboats between 8 and 14 metres.

The headline claim is installation simplicity: the pod ships with the motor controller, water-cooling loop, and CAN-bus harness pre-wired to the drive leg, so a typical refit on a saildrive-aperture hull is a one-day job for an experienced installer. Torqeedo quotes a target installed price of approximately €18,500 in Europe (excluding battery), positioning the Cruise 25R Pod roughly 30% below an equivalent Deep Blue 25R installation.

Electrically, the system runs on a 48 V DC bus with peak phase current of 580 Arms — significantly lower than the Deep Blue 50R's 1,040 A peak — which makes cable sizing and fusing materially easier. Torqeedo recommends pairing the unit with its own 20 kWh or 30 kWh lithium pack, but the motor controller will accept any compliant 48 V LiFePO₄ pack with a CAN-bus BMS, breaking the long-standing battery lock-in that has frustrated DIY builders on previous Deep Blue installations.

For a 10-tonne sailboat targeting 5.5 knots cruise, the 30 kWh pack delivers approximately 28–32 nm of range under moderate conditions. Charging from 20% to 80% on 32 A shore power takes around 4 hours with the included 6 kW on-board charger, or just over an hour with the optional 22 kW fast-charger module that complies with the new IEC/ISO unified shore-power connector standard. First production units are expected to ship to European dealers in July 2026.