GM is further expanding its electric vehicle reach into watercraft. This week, GM announced it acquired a 25% stake in Pure Watercraft, a Seattle-based company specializing in EV boat solutions. General Motors and Pure Watercraft hope to create and commercialize an electric battery watercraft to accelerate the EV boating industry. What are these companies bringing to the table?

General Motors invested in Pure Watercraft, a Seattle-based electric boat startup

In the GM press release, the company announced that it hoped to “accelerate all-electric boating.” The 25% stake in Pure Watercraft will help further the company’s reach. GM expects the collaboration will promote sustainability through zero-emissions boating that will expand into future generations. It will also be a step in the right direction for widespread electric vehicle adoption.

“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.”

Dan Nicholson | GM vice president of Global Electrification, Controls, Software and Electronics

GM is no stranger to electric vehicles on the road, but venturing into electric boats could end up being a fruitful endeavor.

GM is investing $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicle technology

This $35 billion investment into electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles also includes reducing battery costs. GM hopes to become the market leader in America with this move. Pure Watercraft’s Pure Outboard model “uses groundbreaking efficiency to benefit a boat’s performance while reducing environmental pollution, and boasts much lower operating cost and maintenance than traditional marine propulsion systems.”

Andy Rebele, founder and CEO of Pure Watercraft, says the company’s mission is to create a new era of boating. The partnership with GM will allow Pure Watercraft to make technological advancements that might have been out of reach previously. This includes advances in range, charging, and volume production.

Pure Watercraft can bring its current marine propulsion technology to the table, while GM offers “engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing capabilities.”

What does Pure Watercraft currently offer?

The current offerings offer silent propulsion technology that runs quiet and with less vibration. It is also marketed as a zero-maintenance product. That means you won’t have to add fluids or check spark plugs.

The Pure Watercraft Pure Outboard System offers “Clean, quiet, maintenance-free, electric power, equivalent to 50HP.” The single battery pack option costs $16,500, while the two battery pack option costs $25,000. The outboard system comes with a 25kW electric outboard motor with power tilt/trim weighing 112 lbs. The company also offers fully-built boats. The boats range from rigid inflatables, pontoon boats to bass boats. These are priced between $16,500 and $24,000.

Pure Watercraft has been called the Tesla of boats, which is quite the company to live up to. For now, it seems this partnership with General Motors is a good step toward electric vehicle technology.