Electric boats appear to be the next big thing in the world of electric vehicles, and one company is looking to follow the Tesla model in its quest to electrify America's waterways.
According to the Associated Press, Arc Boats, an electric boat company started in 2021, is starting with high-end luxury boats tailored to an affluent customer base, with eyes to expand to a larger customer base in the future.
Gas-powered boats can be a hassle to maintain, they can cost hundreds of dollars a day for gas, they're loud, and they emit fumes. Arc Boats, and its CEO Mitch Lee, are looking to draw people to electric boats that don't come with any of those issues.
The company is following the model set forth by Tesla. The company released its first vehicle, the Roadster, in 2008 with a price tag ranging from $80,000 to $125,000, but it now sells vehicles for as little as $40,000.
Like a Tesla, or plenty of other EVs, Lee sees his new boat as basically a giant computer that you can drive. It will have display screens, sensors, WiFi, and software that can be updated remotely, and one day it may be able to dock on its own.
Buyers even have the option to customize their boat and add accessories.
Although the electric boat market is just a sliver when compared to the electric car market — about $5 billion in 2021 for the boat market compared to $250 billion in 2023 for the car market — the strides made in the car sector in recent years have created a supply chain of parts needed to make electric boats, which should bring down the cost.
Arc Boats currently has models going for upwards of $250,000, but that could change.
"Over time, we expect our technology to get less expensive," Lee said of the Arc Sport. "There are a lot of tailwinds here."
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Lee, touting the qualities of the Arc Sport compared to gas-powered boats, told the AP, "It's quieter. It's far more reliable. It's way cheaper to operate. You're not inhaling fumes off the back of the boat."
Grant Jeide, a member of the Arc Boats sales team, said after enjoying some time wakeboarding behind the boat, "It's like a playground back there, you feel like you could just ride all day."
This is just another growing market in which EVs can make the world a cleaner place. The exhaust pollution created by gas-powered boats contributes to the overheating of our planet, which makes extreme weather events longer, stronger, and more frequent.
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