Seattle’s Pure Watercraft unveils electric pontoon boat as GM collaboration accelerates quickly

An electric pontoon boat from Seattle’s Pure Watercraft. (Pure Watercraft Photo)

Seattle-based Pure Watercraft is acting quickly on its new partnership with General Motors, unveiling an all-electric pontoon boat as the first product of that collaboration.

The boat was revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and Pure Watercraft is now taking pre-orders on its website.

Founded 11 years ago, Pure Watercraft has been working on electric propulsion for motorboats with a goal of disrupting the industry with its electric outboard motors. GM acquired a 25% stake in the startup in November, costing the automaker $150 million and raising Pure’s valuation to $600 million.

“We announced our GM strategic investment 44 days ago, and got our prototype on the water at Lake Las Vegas yesterday in time for its unveiling today at #CES2022,” Pure founder and CEO Andy Rebele wrote in a LinkedIn post. “This is the power of a platform.”

The

24-foot, 7-inch pontoon boat, with a top speed of up to 23 mph, will have capacity for up to 10 people, and is powered by single or twin Pure Outboard motors and a GM battery pack of up to 66 kWh. Price is expected to start at $45,000 (single outboard) and $60,000 (twin outboard).

“A relentless focus on efficiency led us to a more efficient hull shape (including a foil assist), which enabled us to deliver a superior boating experience at a price comparable to that of conventional pontoon boats,” Rebele said.

Pure Watercraft said pontoon boating represents about 20% of the U.S. recreation boating market and is growing more than 20% annually. On its website, the company targets those boaters with a graphic illustrating usage at popular destinations in Minnesota, Missouri and Nevada/Arizona.

(Pure Watercraft Image)

Pure Watercraft has raised $37 million to date, including a $23.4 million Series A round in September 2020. Former Amazon Worldwide Consumer CEO Jeff Wilke is among investors.

The startup has operated from a headquarters facility on Lake Union in Seattle and Rebele said they have leased a production facility in Tukwila, Wash. The company employs 55 people, which includes some full-time contractors.

Pure Watercraft’s focus has been on building motors that are quieter and more environmentally friendly than traditional gas-powered boat motors. Pairing with GM will allow the startup to marry its innovation in marine propulsion technology and experience with the automaker’s engineering, supply chain and manufacturing capabilities.

The company is taking $100 deposits on pre-orders for the pontoon boat and first deliveries are expected late this year.
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