Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corp., was recently named a 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innlvation Award honoree in the Vehicle & Transportation category for the V12 600-hp Verado outboard engine. It is the second consecutive CES Innovation Award for Mercury.
The V12 Verado outboard is designed to deliver exceptional fuel economy and range and in turn, reduces carbon dioxide emissions through the combination of a portfolio of Mercury technologies, including the industry’s first automatic transmission integrated in an outboard; dual, advanced, contra-rotating propellers; Mercury’s Advanced Range Optimization (ARO) lean burn strategy; and closed-loop fuel control. In addition, the engine is designed to run quietly and smoothly.
The CES Innovation Awards program, owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), is an annual competition honoring outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products across 28 product categories. A panel of industry expert judges, including members of the media, designers, engineers and more, reviewed submissions based on innovation, engineering and functionality, aesthetic, and design.
In sea trials using a 43' day boat, twin 600-hp Verado outboards provided 20% better fuel economy at cruise while outperforming a competitor’s triple 425-hp outboards in both acceleration and top speed. The engine’s fuel-management system delivers these performance and sustainability advantages running on widely available and less expensive 87-octane fuel.
“We are thrilled to be recognized with a CES Innovation Award for the second consecutive year,” Dave Foulkes, Brunswick CEO, said in a statement announcing the award. “The Mercury 600-hp V12 Verado is the most innovative and highest performing outboard engine in the world and reduces environmental impact by offering outstanding fuel efficiency and quietness, and this award is a testament to the world-class Mercury team. Our disciplined, design-thinking approach to developing new products and the execution of our ACES strategy continues to elevate the future of boating.”
Features of the new engine include the following:
- The V12 Verado outboard, launched in February 2021, is the world’s first V12 outboard.
- The 600-hp Verado engine features a naturally aspirated, quad‑cam powerhead that generates impressive torque to accelerate heavier boats rapidly to their most efficient planing speed.
- It’s the industry’s first integrated automatic transmission, which optimizes engine performance and fuel economy for both acceleration and cruise.
- The engine features hydrodynamic contra-rotating dual propellers (4 blades in front, 3 in rear) which provide high total blade area to efficiently deliver torque
- The engine is the industry’s first steerable gearcase on an outboard, which pivots independently underwater while the engine’s powerhead remains in a compact, fixed position, providing more room for multi‑engine configurations and a wider steering angle for agile handling.
- The V12 also features a comprehensive new noise-management system under the cowl and the next-generation Advanced MidSection, making the V12 Verado engine the quietest and smoothest high-horsepower outboard ever built.
