Los Angeles-based electric boat company Arc announced this morning the opening of sales of its flagship electric outboard Arc One, which the company boasts is the “most powerful electric watercraft commercially available. “.
The Arc One easily earns this powerhouse title, primarily due to two factors.
First of all, it’s loaded to the teeth with a giant motor and a massive battery to deliver the necessary power.
And secondly, there just isn’t this many commercially available electric boats… yet.
Even with a limited number of options to choose from, Arc literally leaves most electric boat manufacturers in its wake. The company opted for high performance to differentiate itself from the competition.
While some companies are taking their boats out of the water for higher speeds and longer run times, Arc has solved the problem by doubling the motor power and increasing the battery capacity.
The Arc One opted for an ultra-powerful 500 hp (372 kW) electric motor that can propel the boat up to 40 mph (34 knots or 64 km/h).
A powerful motor requires a massive battery to power it, and the Arc One delivers on that front as well. Described as “triple the capacity of a Tesla Model Y,” the Arc One’s 220 kWh battery is said to weigh more than 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg) and provide three to five hours of runtime before require recharging.
A 240V socket can recharge the large battery overnight, although the boat also has DC fast charging to significantly reduce this recharging time.
As the company explained, “If you’re lucky enough to be in a marina with a DC fast charger, you can get an 80% charge in as little as 40 minutes.”
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The 24-foot boat can carry up to 12 people in its aluminum hull, which was specially designed to support the weight of the boat’s huge battery.
Pre-orders are now open for the new electric boat, but don’t expect to make this purchase on a whim. Priced at $300,000, the Arc One requires a customer with, well, boat money. It’s certainly not the cheapest way to get into electric boats, but the local Californian build and in-house development of the boat, drivetrain and battery doesn’t come cheap.
The announcement comes as the nascent market for electric speedboats has started to heat up. When Swedish electric boat maker Candela unveiled its C-8 hydrofoil last year and then started taking orders, it quickly outpaced sales of comparably-sized gas-powered speedboats in the region, demonstrating that the Pent-up demand for electric boats could turn into actual sales. .
Electrek’s Grasp
Ever since I started covering the Arc One last year, I’ve been excited to see what this new electric boat could do.
The level of power they talk about is impressive, but that also means you have to cram in a massive battery to power it…which they do. This is probably a big factor in the price.
Considering you already have to be in the upper stratum of society to afford something like this, maybe the high price tag won’t be much of an issue. And while I would love to see electric boat prices come down, I understand that the first new company launches will first follow the power and luxury Tesla Roadster model. I just can’t wait until we get to model 3 of the boat world too. And if Arc does well enough with the One, who’s to say there isn’t a more affordable model for the average angler Joe in the company’s future?
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