Porsche and Austrian shipyard Frauscher have taken the first production model of the 850 Fantom Air for a spin on the waters of Lake Garda in Italy, an electric sports boat that's is built around drive technology from the upcoming Porsche Macan electric SUV.
"The eFantom offers everything that Frauscher and Porsche products have always promised: outstanding performance and luxurious experiences, the highest quality and exclusive, timeless design," said Porsche's Detlev von Platen at the recent presentation event in Italy.
In development for a couple of years, the first prototype made its maiden voyage in September 2022 on Lake Traunsee in Austria ahead of a presentation to Porsche board members the following month. Testing in Italy was undertaken earlier this year, and the first production craft was completed in the months prior to the recent "test drives" by members of the international press along with interested parties.
The all-electric day cruiser is based on Frauscher's 858 Fantom Air model, and is similarly 8.67-m (28.4-ft) long and 2.49-m (8.17-ft) wide with room for nine on board. FA Porsche studio designed the helm and console, including a reworked sports steering wheel in faux leather, analog instruments for essential data, and two front seats inspired by Porsche sports cars.
Other design elements of note include a 12-inch touch-enabled display panel, a "high-end audio system" with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities, and a frameless windshield fashioned from acrylic glass. A platform at the stern offers two plush cushions for catching rays, while the bow is home to two upholstered benches. The boat also comes with two folding bimini tops for shade, as well as LED ambient lighting and underwater LEDs.
Porsche has refined components from the Premium Platform Electric electric-vehicle architecture co-developed with Audi to suit marine applications – including limiting the peak power of the permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor to 400 kW, which is routed to a Z-drive for speeds up to 85 km/h (45.8 knots/52.8 mph).
Four performance modes are available, each altering the throttle response characteristics and boasting different top speeds – "for example, in docking mode for harbor travel, the speed is limited to 8 knots (the equivalent of 15 km/h)."
The Li-ion battery pack stowed under the lounge area at the boat's rear has the same 100-kWh capacity as the one installed in the 2024 electric Macan, and is housed within a support structure suspended by wire cable dampers for optimum shock absorption.
Users can expect around 45 km (28 miles) of range at a cruising speed of 41 km/h (22 knots – or around 2-3 hours of mixed travel speeds – and there's 800-volt technology cooked in for a 250-kW DC fast-charge top-up to 80% capacity in under 30 minutes, though an 11-kW charger is installed for high-voltage AC connections.
A first edition run of 25 boats can be ordered now for a starting price of €561,700 (~US$595,000). The Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air will be built at Frauscher's facility in Ohlsdorf, Austria, using pre-assembled battery, drive and control modules supplied by Porsche.
The e-boat is set to make its official public debut at the Düsseldorf boot in January 2024, followed by delivery to the first customers over the following months. The video below has more.