I didn’t go to CES 2025 with the aim of getting drenched by Lake Mead’s chilly January waters. But once I found Los Angeles-based boat startup Arc had introduced its new sport boat to Las Vegas, I figured it was well worth the threat. It was.
The Arc Sport was a pleasure to drive, even for a 30-minute outing on a uneven lake. It maneuvered like a heavy jet ski — weight that helped it really feel secure. I’ve pushed loads of heavy electrical automobiles, vehicles, and SUVs the place the burden felt like a drag. In this case, I used to be completely happy to have somewhat heft beneath us.
Like its boats, Arc has moved quick as a startup. Arc, which was based by former SpaceX engineers, got here out of stealth in 2021 with backing from Andreessen Horowitz and Chris Sacca’s Lowercarbon Capital. It raised a $30 million Series A a couple of months later, led by Eclipse Ventures associate and former Tesla government Greg Reichow. The startup shipped its first $300,000 Arc One boats in early 2023, raised one other $70 million that very same yr, and set to work on the $258,000 Arc Sport.
In holding with that tempo, Arc delivered its first Sport boat to a buyer late final yr. That’s a “actually quick improvement time,” founder and CEO Mitch Lee informed TechCrunch as we zipped round Lake Mead. And it was solely potential as a result of Arc took the time to learn to make the limited-run One boat earlier than transferring on to one thing with a bit extra mass attraction, based on Lee.
“The Arc One for us was that [Tesla] Roadster. First step was, let’s go manufacture this boat. Let’s do it at a small scale, and let’s be taught from what it’s wish to have these boats within the subject with prospects,” he informed TechCrunch in an interview in November. “We’ve had boats undergo hurricanes now. We’ve had boats get launched on 95 diploma water. Those learnings are extremely beneficial.”
When I arrived, Lee was shivering within the winter breeze subsequent to Lake Mead, however clearly nonetheless completely happy to indicate off the Arc Sport and what it might do. We climbed aboard and hit the water.
It’s a formidable boat earlier than you even hit the throttle. The match and end on the boat I piloted, which was nonetheless technically a production-intent car, was hanging, particularly since CES isn’t often known as a venue for polished prototypes.
There are parts that may make folks marvel, although. There was a Tesla-style horizontal touchscreen with good, fluid software program that didn’t scream “legacy producer.” A second display sat behind the wheel on the helm, displaying velocity, battery stage, and a view from the forward-facing digital camera.
The Sport is far quieter than a typical fuel boat. It’s not silent. I may nonetheless hear the motor working beneath our toes; nevertheless it was simple to listen to Lee, his two co-workers, and one other journalist on board. It was no louder than the wind and the sound of the wake being thrown off behind us — a distinguishing function of Arc’s boats in comparison with the numerous different hydrofoil-based electrical boat startups.
When you mix that with the opposite quality-of-life enhancements the Sport gives over another fuel opponents – like no fumes, sturdy software program that updates over-the-air, twin thrusters that make it simple to rotate and park the boat, a strong cover that lowers to protect from the weather, and the shortage of winterization required – it is sensible why watersports lovers may pay a premium for this boat.
Boats aren’t essentially onerous to drive. The actual studying curve comes from figuring out find out how to navigate and behave on the water. Driving the Sport on an empty Lake Mead, even in uneven waters, was no problem. Put a hand on the wheel, raise the lock on the throttle knob, and push it ahead to have 500 horsepower of enjoyable.
The 226 kWh battery pack saved the boat planted, and in addition helped the comparatively quick 23-foot body make fast pivots as I turned the wheel. These turns have been essentially the most fraught a part of the expertise with the wind and the chop. Sure sufficient, we received slapped with a wave, spraying us with the icy blue water the Colorado River provides to Lake Mead.
It was price it, although. Everyone ought to be capable of have that a lot enjoyable.
On the best way again to the dock, whereas toweling off, it was onerous to not discover Lake Mead’s depletion. A potent mixture of seemingly limitless drought and human exercise has lowered the reservoir to only 27% of its whole capability, based on NASA. In each path I may see the place the water line was once, a phenomenon colloquially identified known as the “bathtub ring.”
This has had a direct affect on boaters who use the lake for recreation – precisely the type of folks Lee hopes to promote to. Lake Mead has needed to shut a number of boat launches and ramps over the previous couple of years, based on the National Park Service, and prolong those that stay as a way to attain the lake’s newer, decrease stage.
I didn’t ask him if the evaporation of freshwater lakes is a threat for Arc’s addressable market – that’s a grim concept I’ll you’ll want to increase subsequent time. What I do know is Lee has stated his aim is that each watercraft switches to electrical. That consists of wanting past powersports, maybe even to authorities and protection – an concept that seed investor Andreessen Horowitz is kind of keen on as of late.
When I requested Lee about this in November, he demurred, however left the door open.
“We can’t afford to get distracted too early, as a result of if we do, we’ll fail as an organization,” he stated. “The purpose we have been capable of develop the Arc Sport so rapidly is due to the work that we did on the Arc One. I may go down this lengthy record of all of the carryover and IP, however the identical factor applies to going to industrial, going into authorities sectors, and our aspirations as a enterprise positively carry over to that. We’re simply not fairly prepared to debate something there but.”
