Electric drive: Revolutionary e-outboard from Finx: membrane instead of screw

Rarely has a new drive seemed as bizarre as the Fin5 outboard motor from France. It's not just the rounded 60s retro design of the motor head that stands out, the underwater part also looks strange. Instead of a propeller, the motor has a ring-shaped nozzle. A rubber diaphragm, also in the shape of a ring, operates at the rear edge of the nozzle. Depending on the desired propulsion, this membrane pulsates at different speeds and pumps water backwards, similar to a jellyfish. In combination with the nozzle, additional water is sucked through the ring from the front, creating an astonishing amount of thrust.

The advantage: no rotating parts under water that could get tangled up in anything. You could even stick a hand into the running motor without damaging it - ideal as a dinghy drive or for small sailing boats. Reversing the thrust is not possible, so the motor is turned 180 degrees to reverse. The drive operates with 48 volts and weighs 18 kilograms, whereby an external battery is required. The electrical output of the Fin5 is 2 kilowatts. The thrust should correspond to that of a 5 hp combustion engine. Price: from 2990 euros. A smaller version is in development, as is a motorboat drive with 150 hp.

Further information is available at: www.finxmotors.com