Why Arc Boats are rethinking range

Recreational Boating © Arc Boats

Being stranded after running out of gas is nearly a right of passage for boaters. Outdated technology, and painfully imprecise (or non-existent) fuel gauges leave many people guessing their gas levels and hoping for the best when it comes to making it back home.

At Arc, we're able to solve range anxiety thanks to precise information on the remaining battery capacity. We've taken that even further to help boaters understand how much time they have left on the water, and ensure they always make it safely back to the dock.

Why is range so difficult?

When driving a car, you have an accurate estimate of your speed and your remaining fuel, making range estimation relatively easy. You can be fairly certain that the number of miles left until empty displayed on your dashboard is accurate.

For boats, that precision is missing. Gas gauges on boats, if present at all, are notoriously unreliable — they're easily thrown off by waves and largely rely on outdated, 1980s-era technology. That problem is exacerbated by speedometers on boats being even more unreliable, with water sensors frequently clogged or deteriorated. Add the fact that range on boats depends heavily on speed (moving through water consumes a lot more energy than a car requires to move through air), and understanding range becomes a guessing game for even the most seasoned boaters.

Our boats offer much more precise data to help boaters understand their battery capacity. No more manually checking gas tanks and making wild guesses about range.

Measurements that matter

Electric cars have trained people to fixate on vehicle range in terms of distance. It's therefore not surprising that we frequently hear questions along the lines of, "How far can the Arc One go on a single charge?"

Measuring range in terms of distance makes sense for cars, or even offshore vessels traveling between two points. But for recreational lake and river boaters, this information isn't useful. You want to understand how much time you can spend on the water, not how far you can go.

That's why we communicate range in terms of usage time, or how many hours and minutes your battery will last.

Understanding Arc One's range

We designed the Arc One's battery to provide enough range for a full day on the water — a mix of time at high speed, pulling wakesurfers or skiers, cruising around the lake, and stopping for swim breaks. That typically translates to 3-5 hours of time under power, but varies heavily based on usage. Early Arc One customer data suggests there's plenty of juice left to spare, even after eight hour days on the lake. And, with 50% more energy storage than any other boat in its class, an Arc One can stay out on the water longer than any other in the industry.

Boaters should have enough power to enjoy their time on the water and relax knowing they'll always make it back to the dock. That's why Arc One also has controls in place to eliminate range anxiety. If the boat's battery capacity drops below a certain threshold, the boat will automatically limit its speed to extend range, ensuring there's enough power to get you home.

We want owning an electric boat to be as easy as owning an iPhone — you use it all day without thinking about the battery, plug it in at night, and wake up the next morning with a full charge. With better precision and superior range comes more peace of mind on the water.