Porsche has used its upcoming Macan EV powertrain to make this 536bhp electric sports boat

Porsche may not have pulled the wraps off its all-electric Macan just yet, but it did confirm earlier this year that it would use a 100kWh battery and motors that enabled ‘up to 600bhp’.

And it would seem that Porsche is fairly proud of the powertrain, because it has now had it transplanted into a boat. Yes you did read that correctly: this is the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air.

An all-electric take on the Austrian boatbuilder’s standard 850 Fantom Air, the special edition Porsche boat gets the full 100kWh battery from the upcoming Macan mounted under the ‘lounge area’ at the rear. The small SUV’s permanently excited synchronous electric motor is present and correct too, although here it’s limited to ‘just’ 536bhp. Sounds like plenty to us. 

The result is a top speed of nearly 53mph on the water, with a cruising range of 28 miles at the optimum speed of 25mph. Porsche says there are Docking, Range, Sport and Sport Plus modes for the powertrain though and that a range of more than 62 miles is possible. It also says that “typical customer trips with a mix of slow and high-speed travel allow a journey time of two to three hours”.

When the battery’s near empty, the Macan’s 800-volt architecture means that it can accept rapid charging at speeds of over 250kW. You will need to make sure that the boatyard has an accessible fast charger though. Wouldn’t be that handy if you had to pop it onto a trailer and take it down to the closest motorway service station, would it?

“This boat is a real milestone in the industry,” says the Managing Director of Frauscher Shipyard, Stefan Frauscher. “The electric version of the Fantom Air is better than the version with an internal combustion engine in all driving characteristics, such as top speed, acceleration and handling – and at the same time locally emission-free.” 

And it’s not just the powertrain that Porsche had a hand in. The cockpit area includes a classic five-gauge design behind a recognisable Porsche steering wheel that’s apparently trimmed in an artificial leather that’s more resistant to salt water. The seats are inspired by those in Porsche’s road cars too, and we’re told that in total nine passengers can travel on the Fantom Air.

Looks like the classic Porsche options list will be available on water as it is on land too, with “the entire colour palette that Porsche offers for its road vehicles” available to choose from. Whether you’ll have to pay extra for some of the brilliant Paint to Sample shades remains to be seen, although the starting price of €561,700 (around £485k) for one of the 25 examples is already pretty punchy.