French electric marine motor maker TEMO is bringing its OUTPOD system to North America, debuting at the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, from October 15-18. The company describes it as a middle ground between a conventional outboard and a permanently installed pod drive, and it previously won the Best Innovative Product prize at the 2025 Paris Nautic Show.
The key innovation is the installation: the underwater pod drive sits on an external, bolt-on transom mount, so there is no cutting into the hull below the waterline. The motor can slide off for storage or maintenance, and a height-adjustable mast lets sailors pull the entire unit out of the water with a halyard while sailing, eliminating propeller drag. The shaft rotates 180 degrees for maneuvering and hydrogeneration.
TEMO is launching two versions: the OUTPOD 1000 (1,300 watts, 66 lb of static thrust) and the OUTPOD 3000 (3,100 watts, 148 lb of thrust). The motor itself weighs just 26 lb in either version. Power comes from removable 2.3 kWh batteries that slot into an auto-connecting rack, and sailors with compatible 48V lithium battery banks can use those instead. The system supports solar charging and hydrogeneration, feeding energy back into the batteries while sailing. Pricing starts at $2,600 for the OUTPOD 1000 and $5,400 for the OUTPOD 3000.