General Motors has acquired a 25 percent stake in Pure Watercraft, a Seattle-based developer of all-electric boating solutions. Both companies want to develop and market battery-electric watercraft with GM technology.


The exact amount of the carmaker's investment in Pure Watercraft does not emerge from the GM announcement. Specific projects and joint products have not yet been announced either; according to GM, these will be announced at a later date.

According to founder and CEO Andy Rebele, Pure Watercraft hopes that the cooperation with the car manufacturer will "achieve significant technological advances in range and charging and at the same time achieve series production". For the battery-electric watercraft, GM technology is to be integrated “in a large number of applications”.

Where exactly that should be is not yet mentioned. With its Ultium Drive units, GM has an electric drive kit for automotive use, but also battery technology via the Ultium Cells joint venture. In the GM announcement, partner Pure Watercraft praised the “Pure Outboard” engine with its “groundbreaking efficiency”. The production of these drives could be scaled with GM know-how - the communication emphasizes the "engineering, supply chain and manufacturing capabilities of GM".

"GM's involvement in Pure Watercraft is another exciting opportunity to expand our zero-emissions goal beyond automotive applications," said Dan Nicholson, GM's vice president of global electrification, controls, software and electronics. “Building on GM's existing efforts to strategically deploy our technology in the rail, truck and aerospace industries, the combined expertise of these two companies should result in future zero-emission marine product offerings that offer consumers more choice than before. “