The idea of an electric personal watercraft is a little troubling at first, I mean…we are talking hundreds of volts and hundreds of amps surrounded by water, in an inherently unstable vehicle…what could go wrong, right?
But, for those who aren’t adverse to a little wake-up jolt, the all-electric Free Form Factory Gratis X1 personal watercraft might be an interesting way to spend a sunny afternoon.
And for savvy motorcyclists, the electric bits on the Gratis X1 should be familiar, as Free Form Factory is using Zero Motorcycles’s Z-Force powertrain to propel its watercraft.
The details from Free Form Factory are thin, though the company does say that the Gratis X1 is good for about 45 minutes of “normal” use, an even hour if you add in the optional 3.3kWh external battery pack.
The motor is rated at 46hp and is said to go 40 mph, while the hulk of the boat weighs a competitive 380 lbs wet.
With Zero Motorcycles being the king of inflated estimates when it comes to the range of its electric vehicles, we are hesitant to believe any range quotes by Free Form Factory, though even giving them the benefit of the doubt, 45 minutes to an hour doesn’t sound like too much time on the water.
With personal water craft ranging in all sorts of sizes and weights, we imagine the biggest limiting factor for more water-time is the cost of the batteries, as the $17,900 price tag shows that there is certainly an added cost for literally saving the manatees.
As we have seen in the two-wheeled space though, there is a premium that comes with electric vehicles right now, with brands like Free Form Factory hoping to lure in early-adopters and corner the space, before prices fall and the big OEMs come to play.
If this sounds like you, availability for the Gratis X1 is slated for Q4 2017.
Source: Free Form Factory
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