The electric watercraft segment is rapidly expanding. Taiga Motors, Zen Yachts, and Voltari are just a few manufacturers slightly dividing the EV boating market share, aiming for a niche status. Unlike the automotive industry, each manufacturer aims for entirely different segments.
But now a new entrant is showing its face, one that is taking electric boating to different waves. Qurrent, a Coeur D'alene-based nautical technology company, is focusing on the tech side of boating. Implementing maritime ADAS features and powerful EV powertrains in boats, the startup has become the target of an established boat manufacturer wanting to implement its technology.
"The reason that we started it {Qurrent} was to focus on user experience," says Cody Peterson, the firm's chief visionary officer. "We wanted to start at a high entry-level market for boats, and these boats are one and a half to two million dollars each. But we can go totally overkill on every aspect of the boat, from the luxury items, the intelligence side of things, the interface side of things, all the way to the amount of batteries and horsepower we can put into the thing."
"Totally Overkill"
To "go totally overkill," the startup met with a fellow Idaho-based boat venture, but this one had 90 years in the business. The mature watercraft builder, Stancraft, prides itself on building bespoke luxury wooden boats. Together, the two manufacturers blend avant-garde EV tech with classic boat styling.
Qurrent's powertrain is presently offered in the Stancraft Hammerhead, a 34 to 40-foot boat that sits up to twenty people and features an optional hardtop, a below-deck bar, and a hull made of mahogany. All these features in a large boat mean it's quite heavy. Instead of combatting the weight, Qurrent decided to go for a more mighty powertrain.
"The electrical architecture that we put together is quite modular," says Andy Huska, the chief technology officer of Qurrent. "I can speak specifically to the Stancraft implementation... it's thirty-eight feet tip to tail when you count the swim deck, and it has a 480 kilowatt-hour battery pack in it. Our system scales even higher than that, so looking down the road, 960 kilowatt-hour and over a megawatt hour is totally within the scope of what we build here."
The Friction Of Water
Mated to the 480-kilowatt-hour battery pack is a dual motor setup with a peak output of 1,400 horsepower. Huska says the 1,400 horsepower electric motors make the 15,000-pound boat feel incredibly nimble. This motor setup uses steer-by-wire tech, and it also allows for vector thrusting, a technology mainly available in jet boats and fighter planes. The latter allows for enhanced maneuverability, a nice touch when commandeering a seven-figure wooden vessel.
As for its range, Huska says, "At cruising speed, which cruising speed in this boat is 20 to 35 miles per hour, we have a range of over sixty miles. While 60 miles may not sound incredibly substantial, this aligns with many electric boats currently on the market. Pushing water requires immense energy consumption as opposed to rubber on the road, but most EV boat manufacturers find range figures around this number as adequate as it easily allows for enough time on the water for a day.
More EV Boats
That said, the Qurrent-powered Stancraft is eager to accept electrons when the battery gets low. "If you need to, fast charging is available, and because our battery pack is so large, we can charge at 500 kilowatts," Huska told InsideEVs. While 500kW+ charging infrastructure isn't here yet, especially on the water, it is nonetheless an incredibly noteworthy figure.
While Qurrent is currently working with Stancraft as an EV component supplier, the firm sees itself eventually producing and delivering its own boats. At its core, Qurrent wants to be a lead offering with an unparalleled connection between captains and their boats. "One great thing about the electricity system we designed here is that there is full redundancy," Huska said. "We designed everything to keep people safe and make sure they get where they're going."
Gallery: Qurrent Boats