General Motors announced Monday that it has acquired a 25 percent stake in electric boat motor manufacturer Pure Watercraft.
In a statement, the American automaker said the two companies “will develop and commercialize battery-electric watercraft,” together and will “integrate GM technology into a variety of applications, helping to accelerate the industry’s transition to electric mobility.” Specific product offerings that will occur from the collaboration will be disclosed “at a later date,” GM also said Monday.
Pure Watercraft is a Seattle-based manufacturer of battery-electric outboard boat motors. The company’s Pure Outboard motor comprises a 25kW electric outboard motor, which receives power from one or more 8.85 kWh lithium-ion battery packs. The system costs $16,500 with one 8.8 kWh battery and $25,000 with two batteries.
In a statement, Pure Watercraft founder and CEO Andy Rebele said the investment from GM will help the company ramp up production of the Pure Outboard and also develop more advanced electric boating technologies in the future.
“Our mission is to enable a new era in boating,” said Rebele. “This joint effort with GM is expected to enable us to make significant technological advancements in range and charging, while achieving volume production.”
Dan Nicholson, GM’s vice president of Global Electrification, Controls, Software and Electronics, said the investment in Pure Watercraft is representative of GM’s desire to electrify all forms of mobility – not just the automobile.
“GM’s stake in Pure Watercraft represents another exciting opportunity to extend our zero-emissions goal beyond automotive applications,” Nicholson explained. “Building upon GM’s existing efforts to strategically deploy our technology across rail, truck and aerospace industries, the combined expertise of these two enterprises should result in future zero-emissions marine product offerings, providing consumers with more choice than before.”
It’s not clear when consumers can expect the first Pure Watercraft product developed with guidance from GM to go on sale.
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Comments
Let me guess it’s going to be called CAMARO. GM can’t even make cars and trucks right. What a JOKE..
What kind of “farm boy” doesn’t know that GM is the number one supplier of inboard/stern drive boat motors? And if you want to get big engines for a swap, like the 8.1L big block, getting said boat motors is far cheaper than a racing crate engine.
Let me guess you’re giving your fat Holstein’s greasy Handy’s rn you Farm MUPPET 🤡
Another waste of money stolen from ICE vehicle development.
Fords forms a relationship with Amazon backed Rivian Motors. GM invests in a trolling motor company. Tell me again how GM is winning on the EV front.
Hey GM ! You can’t get your act together on cars an trucks … now you’re going to ruin another company. I’m going to give you $1 Trillion Dollars worth of advice, and you dern sure need it. Truck lovers, this old business model didn’t apply to them, that’s a whole other business, this dealt with cars. When GM was formed it’s management created what some call the “Rise In Status”. First remember people kept their cars 5 to 7 years in the early days of car ownership. Chevrolet, that car got people into a vehicle an created a GM customer, Pontiac, well that was the next jump in the “Rise” of vehicle ownership with a few more bells an whistles. Now Buick entered into the mindset, that 3rd rung in the status for the buyer who wanted a nicer car. Enter Oldsmobile, that vehicle that had more in common with Cadillac and gave them that luxury feel, Oldsmobile meant more status, I’d made it to Oldsmobile. Then came the Cadillac, GM’s Duesenberg … the owner had finally “made it” to the top. GM, you’ve thrown away what made you, and for what? GM Ford, Henry Ford might have put America on wheels, but GM you created the “Rise In Status Ladder” family of vehicles, and that “ladder” made GM. The GM customer had that mindset, you created it, and you threw it away. For those reading this GM had the ultimate mouse trap from say 1935 to 1990. GM’s management threw it all away, it threw away Pontiac and Oldsmobile (I know this as I was on the Oldsmobile rung of the ladder) and those were mistakes. It embraced things like GEO, Hummer, Saturn, an Saab to mention a few, all destined to fail. Now it’s the SUV/Crossover madness, and making Cadillac into a (you already had that in Pontiac & Chevy) performance brand. In closing, GM keep on with your business model (same for the others) and brands like Toyota, Honda, Hyundai will become the new big three. I’m closer to 70 years old and have seen GM do this, had GM not screwed around with a proven business model they’d enjoy that close to 55% market share GM used to have, I’d estimate GM (including their foreign holdings) might be 14% … GM you’d had money to invest into vehicles people want … not want some politician in DC whose never held a real job in the private sector listening to the “squad” tells you to make.
GM doesn’t care about current cutomers. They think there are so many new customers waiting for the new gm EVs.
On what planet does this make sense?
A 33 horsepower engine that runs for 20 minutes for $16K or 40 minutes for $25K
The energy density of batteries has not made it to the level where electric boats are viable.
This is range anxiety at it finest.
A sinking idea.
Why? Japan has battery operated submarines
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-japan%E2%80%99s-soryu-class-stealth-submarines-are-so-deadly-164848
They are called Diesel Electric Submarines, These have been used since WWII. The diesel engines run when the submarine is at the surface to recharge the batteries.
It is also helpful to have a Boat (like the soryu class) that carries several hundred tons of batteries. If the Japanese navy had only battery operated submarines their range would be incredibly limited, hence the diesel backup.