The many virtues and pleasures of electric propulsion are well known in river and canal boating circles. Electric motors are virtually noiseless, have no smelly fuel and produce no polluting emissions. In other words, these propulsion units are truly "green" and environmentally friendly. By making good use of modern developments in electric motor design, VETUS has constructed the ideal electric propulsion unit. This has the principal assets of: very low power consumption, continuously variable speed, low weight and compact dimensions.