Meet Porsche's bold new 536bhp electric power boat
Here’s a collaboration you might not have foreseen at the beginning of 2023…
German sports car giant Porsche has teamed up with boat manufacturer Frauscher to create a striking electric sports boat – and it uses drivetrain technology from the forthcoming Porsche Macan EV.
Austrian boat maker Frauscher isn’t new to the electric boat game: it offers a whole range of e-boats which are hand built at its factory in Ohlsdorf, Austria.
Porsche has designed its own power boats in the past, but has never been involved in the development of an all-electric sports boat.
Called the 850 Fantom Air, the new vessel uses components from Porsche’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture, the electric architecture that will underpin the future EV Macan SUV.
And thanks to the Fantom Air using Porsche’s permanently excited synchronous motor, it has a whopping 400kW (536bhp) of power to play with. The electric motor sits in the back of the boat, with a shaft that transmits power to the propeller.
As the Fantom is pitched as a sports boat, it gets a large battery to suit, with a gross capacity of 100kWh and is positioned under the lounge area towards the rear of the boat.
Porsche and Frauscher also opted to use wire rope mounts in the support frame which are claimed to be good for absorbing shocks while driving fast through waves.
Just like Porsche road cars, the Fantom gets a range of pre-programmed driving modes which adjust the boat’s characteristics depending on the environment.
There’s a Sport Plus mode which ramps up the throttle response for speeds of up to 46 knots (53mph), while a Docking mode limits the speed to eight knots (9mph) for navigating a busy harbour, for example.
Porsche and Frauser say the optimum cruising speed is 22 knots (25mph) which should allow for a run time of around one hour or 27 miles.
When driving at hull speeds a range of 62 miles is possible, although a typical trip with a mix of slow and high-speed travel should allow for two to three hours of use, according to the two firms.
250kW charging is available, which means the battery can be boosted from 10-80% in under 30 minutes. Porsche and Frausher have also added AC charging using a conventional household socket as charging infrastructure is much harder to find in most ports at present.
Studio F. A. Porsche, the brand’s dedicated design studio which creates lifestyle products, was responsible for the boat’s passenger space and helmstand.
There are a number of styling features with nods to current Porsche models. The driver gets a real Porsche steering wheel finished in a more wet weather friendly artificial leather.
Five analogue gauges sit in the high-gloss black instrument panel, each of which display key information to the driver.
There’s also a pair of Porsche designed front seats, which have been crafted to look similar to the sports seats in the German brand’s sports cars – they even get an embroidered crest in the head rest.
There’s a swimming platform at the rear with two sunbathing pads, with a central aisle that connects the front and back of the boat. It also comes with a high-end sound system, WiFi connectivity and a 12in multifunction display.
Want your Fantom in a bespoke colour? Buyers can choose any colour from Porsche’s own palette which means you can have the Fantom in anything from famous Irish Green to ultra-classy Nordic Gold Metallic.
25 exclusive edition models will be solid initially, with the new electric vessel costing an eye-watering €561,700 (£462,950). First deliveries will begin in 2024.
