How Porsche and Maserati swapped their EVs’ bits into boats

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Just as the first self-propelled automobile was driven by electricity, so too was the first powered watercraft, an all-electric boat developed by German inventor Moritz von Jacobi way back in 1839. The 7.3-metre (24-foot) vessel was designed to carry 14 people at 4.8 km/h (three miles per hour) and made its debut for Russian Emperor Nicholas I on the Neva River. From 1880 to 1920, electric boats were all the rage, but like their electrified land-borne counterparts, big oil and the combustion engine scuttled their momentum and future prospects.

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Move ahead a century, and electric vehicles — on land and on sea — are enjoying a major renaissance, and in some cases all-electric automobiles and all-electric boats are cross-pollinating. That’s certainly the case with the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air, an Austrian-built speedboat outfitted with the EV architecture from the all-new 2024 Porsche Macan EV.

And then there’s Tridente, a partnership between Maserati and Vita Power, the latter a marine technology company founded to reduce the impact on the oceans via an integrated electrified ecosystem of high-performance powertrains and full-electric yachts, supported by dedicated marine fast-charging infrastructure.

What is the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air?

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Based on Frauscher’s 858 Fantom Air day cruiser, the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air is an 8.67-metre (28.4-foot) day-boat with a maximum occupancy of nine. The all-electric powertrain comes directly from the Macan EV, specifically Porsche’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture and its 100-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, permanently-excited synchronous electric motor, and 800-volt technology that allows the boat to be charged with more than 250 kW of DC current at a fast-charging station.

Maximum power output is 400 kW (544 horsepower), maximum speed is 85 km/h (46 knots) and at a cruising speed of 41 km/h (22 kn) the battery range is 45 kilometres (28 nautical miles). According to press notes, a full-charge battery will last two to three hours, calculated by a customer’s typical mix of slow, cruising, and fast motoring.

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How does the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air perform in the water?

I had the opportunity to go for a spin in the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air off Antibes during the global first drive event of the Porsche Macan EV in France, and even had some time in the captain’s chair (nicely adorned with a Porsche logo, no less). The steering wheel would look at home in any product from Stuggart, and the gauge cluster mimics the traditional array from the fabled 911.

Ease the throttle forwards and the boat smoothly and evenly gets up to cruising speed, and with a spin of the wheel to the right, the boat effortlessly turned in the water; with more steering input, it continued to dig in, carving up the French Riviera. Just as with the Macan EV, that low-slung 100-kWh battery pack provides a low centre of gravity that enhances handling and performance.

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That the all-electric powertrain provides exhilarating boating shouldn’t be too surprising, but from my brief experience out on the water, the true benefits of that EV heart and soul are twofold: first, even at full throttle, you can carry on a conversation with your boatmate (try that in a speedboat powered by a roaring diesel engine at full clip); and second, the lack of said diesel means a lack of choking diesel fumes, which has often been the ruin of boating pleasure.

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How many Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air will be built?

Austrian boat-maker Frauscher intends an initial production run of 25 of its Porsche-powered beauties, and reports eight customers have already taken delivery. Yes, the range does limit the number of hours you can carve up the ocean or lake blue before it’s back to the dock to plug in, but as a super-yacht tender or a lake day-boat, there is a strong user case for the emission-free runabout. Pricing is in the US$800,000 range, and pre-orders are now open.

Is this the first time Porsche’s dipped its toe in the water?

It is not, as way back in 1959, the early years of Porsche, the company built a concept boat called the 729, based on the legendary four-cylinder boxer engine that powered the Porsche 356. Power output was restricted to 52 horsepower.

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What is the Maserati-designed Tridente?

Maserati and Vita Power have also collaborated on an all-electric watercraft; however, the powerplant isn’t just a straight swap out from the sublime GranCabrio Folgore, the Italian automaker’s latest EV. Yes, the motors powering the Tridente’s twin screws are the same as those in the convertible EV, but Vita Power did most of the engineering of the batteries and other powertrain components.

The battery packs pack a punch, with just over 250 kWh of power, good for 600 horsepower, a cruising speed of 46 km/h (25 knots) and a top speed of 74 km/h (40 knots). Vita Power reports the batteries can be charged up using DC power in an under an hour.

The day-boat is made of carbon fibre, and that hull is built by Hodgdon Yachts, a Maine-based boatbuilder with a 200-plus-year history that specializes in super-yacht tenders. The 10.5-metre (34.4-foot) Tridente also differs from the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air as it has a bow cabin with a bed, sink, and toilet; a lounging deck; and can accommodate 10 people. And its price makes the Porsche boat seem like a bargain. The Tridente sells for 2.5 million euros (about 3.7 million loonies) and can be delivered 10 months from ordering.