GM investing in electric boats, acquires stake in Pure Watercraft

When General Motors says it's going all-in on electric vehicles, it doesn't mean just cars and super trucks. This week, the automaker announced it has acquired a 25% ownership stake in the all-electric boating startup, Pure Watercraft.

GM recently set a goal to phase out tailpipe emissions, pledging to sell only zero-emissions vehicles in "leading markets" by 2035 and globally by 2040. This week's news also comes with a reaffirmation of GM's $35 billion investment by 2025 in electric and autonomous vehicle technologies. Staking Pure Watercraft is part of that effort, which will also extend to rail, truck and aerospace industries. 

Seattle-based Pure Watercraft builds all-electric boats around its Pure Outboard electric outboard motor and marine-grade battery packs and charging systems with the promise of silent performance and lower maintenance and operating costs versus combustion-powered propulsion and a reduced environmental impact. The Pure Outboard system boasts a lightweight 50-horsepower motor that can be fitted to most hulls rated between 25 to 50 hp, an 8.8-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack -- multiples can be stacked for increased capacity -- and a 6.6kW charger that can replenish from 50% to full in 90 minutes on 240-volt power. Pure Watercraft is currently taking preorders for the $16,500 single-battery system (or $25,000 with two-batteries) with a $500 preorder deposit.

"Our mission is to enable a new era in boating," said Andy Rebele, founder and CEO of Pure Watercraft. "This joint effort with GM is expected to enable us to make significant technological advancements in range and charging, while achieving volume production."

GM will bring its engineering, supply chain and manufacturing capabilities to the partnership, as well as its portfolio of EV technologies which should help accelerate the development and commercialization of electric watercraft.