French electric propulsion manufacturer Temo has introduced the OUTPOD, a design that blends the light weight and simplicity of electric pod drives with the portability and transom-mounting characteristics of an outboard.
The OUTPOD, which is designed for small sailboats up to 25 feet or about 3,000 pounds, was fittingly introduced at the October 15-18 Annapolis Sailboat Show. The transom-mounted unit is raised and lowered using a built-in lanyard that locks in place on a cam cleat. Temo’s 1.3 kilowatt (kW) Seaside OUTPOD 1000 will sell for $2,600 while the 3.1 kW Seaside OUTPOD 3000 will sell for $5,400. These prices do not include batteries.
Remote Battery Power With Portability
The OUTPOD throttle control and power display are mounted up in the cockpit. Power is supplied by one or multiple 2.3 kilowatt-hour remote batteries. Available from Temo for $2,499, these 24 lb./11 kg batteries are remotely mounted on a slide-in rack but are also removable and portable, so they can be brought back to shore for charging if the boat is on a mooring or a dock without power. The OUTPOD motor unit is also portable and can be quickly removed from its transom bracket for temporary security or winter storage. The OUTPOD 1000 weighs about 26 lb./12 kg.
OUTPODs also can be used with third-party 48 volt batteries, but the unit’s power display will then only offer details on wattage rather than offering the state-of-charge and predicted-range details available with Temo’s own batteries.
The OUTPOD can be rotated 360 degrees for maneuvering but it also locks in place facing astern for propulsion or facing forward for hydro generation. Steering is handled by the boat’s rudder when the OUTPOD is in a fixed position.
Temo Takes a Different Path
Founded in 2018 in Nantes, France, Temo entered the North American market in 2024, bringing new competition to the electric propulsion market. Where rivals have stuck with conventional outboard designs, Temo has been an innovator, offering small craft motors including the rudder-shaped Airside 1000, a 1.3 kW motor, and the novel Airside 450, a 450-watt motor that puts the propeller at the end of a lightweight pole that telescopes from 4.2 to 5.6 feet.
Temo has been selling its Seaside line electric pod drives in Europe since 2024. The lineup, which is now available in North America, includes fixed and steerable pods ranging from 500 watts to 3.1 kW. Pods are permanently installed on the bottom of the hull, and care must be taken to ensure a proper installation angle and fit to the hull to ensure a leak-free seal.
The OUTPOD uses the same proven pods but in a more easily installed design that enables the motor to be lifted out of the water when not in use and portably removed from the boat for secure storage.
Temo Customer Reviews
The availability of customer feedback on Temo products is limited, particularly in North America, where the company’s products have only been available since 2024. Defender Marine, one of the first retailers to offer Temo products, had only three reviews of the Temo Airside 1000 (a.k.a. Temo 1000) as of this writing, with all three being star ratings with no commentary. Two customers gave this rudder-shaped, 1.1kW model five stars, a top rating, while one customer gave it three stars.
Airside 450
Feedback was more specific from five buyers of the Temo Airside 450, the 450-watt model with a propeller on the end of a telescoping shaft. Two customers gave the 450 five stars, two gave it four stars and one customer gave it one star.
The most recent positive reviewer commented:
“I have had the Temo 450 for a year, purchased for use on the small wooden pram we built. It is perfect for this use and has sufficient battery power and thrust in good-sized anchorages with two people and a dog on board. Convenient size and weight are also big pluses. We recently had an issue with the battery (it should be recharged periodically over the winter) but customer service was incredibly prompt and accommodating allowing us to get back on the water immediately!”
The one-star reviewer commented as follows:
“While this is an interesting design, it has an expensive design flaw. The keyway on the plastic prop will fail from sea grass fouling and thus necessitating replacement. I have owned this less than 6 months and have already had to purchase a new prop for approximately $70. Service from Temo is essentially non existent: They replied that seaweed or fishing line is the cause of failure. If you plan on purchasing this motor, my experience is that it can propel my Walker Bay 8 (1 person) at 3 knots with a range of 1 nautical mile. Make sure to have an extra prop on board as well as a star wrench for removal.”
On Plastic Props
Investigating comments across product lines, Practical Sailor found that the plastic props common to electric outboards are prone to failure in the event of prop strikes and fouling. A West Marine customer commenting on the Torqeedo Travel 503 replacement prop commented:
“It’s a bummer when these props get banged up, which happens easily given they are plastic. In my case it’s usually because I hit my rudder with it. I’d rather the prop get dinged instead of my rudder. My only real complaint is that dropping the motor often results in a broken prop.”
Conclusions
It will be interesting to see if Temo’s OUTPOD, with the brand’s once-again novel design, gains adoption. The unit blends the benefits of light weight and portability common to electric motors, but the OUTPOD also features controls that are mounted in the cockpit and capacious 2.3 kW batteries. These batteries are remotely mounted on a rack, yet still removable and portable at only 24 pounds.
One possible challenge with installation is that the bracket design assumes that the boat’s transom is relatively flat and vertical. If your transom slopes or is curved, custom blocking may be required.
If you have experience with Temo’s motors, let us know your thoughts in the comments.
