Climb Aboard The Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air
When Porsche comes knocking to do a collaboration, you say yes. That’s basically what went through Stefan Frauscher’s mind when the Stuttgart car maker sought to expand the reach of its new electrified drivetrain from the Macan EV. The managing director and third generation of the family-run Frauscher boat building company admitted his enthusiasm to work with Porsche even if it left a few folks scratching their heads over the relationship.
“I’ve been driving boats all my life and this one is by far the best that I’ve ever driven. No boat with a combustion engine can keep up.”
Michael Frauscher, Managing Partner.
From Porsche’s perspective, it makes sense. Not only does the company have a history of fitting its engines in more than just land-based machines (consider the 1959 Porsche Type 59 boat, or the highly-coveted Mooney M20L airplane), but a full 80% of Frauscher’s customers have at least one Porsche parked in their garage. It also made sense given the Austrian boat-builder’s history of making electric-powered vessels since the 1950s.
The Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom Air starts with the Frauscher 858 Fantom Air — a gorgeous open-bow, centre console motor yacht measuring just under 29 feet in length — and replaces the gas-powered engine with the electric motor and battery pack from Porsche’s new Macan EV.
The Macan’s motor is throttled up to 400 kW (roughly 600 hp) in the boat, drawing energy from Porsche’s 100 kWh battery pack. The energy is sent through a Z-drive shaft to a propeller, like a traditional outboard with a shaft and screw set up. Stefan’s older brother and fellow managing partner Michael Frauscher overseas the company’s shipyard operations and claims, “I’ve been driving boats all my life and this one is by far the best that I’ve ever driven. No boat with a combustion engine can keep up.”
On a short demonstration drive during a particularly calm day on the Mediterranean, it was easy to see why the elder Frauscher is so boastful. The attributes that make electric cars so appealing largely apply here, too. The Fantom Air’s on-water character reminds a lot of the Macan EV’s planted feel, especially when carving at speed. The battery pack and motor are situated low in the structure just as they are in the Macan, and the result is remarkable stability when throwing the boat into turns without the rear end washing out the way it does in many speed boats.
The immediacy of an electric motor’s torque delivery means the Fantom Air accelerates very quickly, getting up on plane at an effortless 50 km/h. While Frauscher’s other electric boats have offered modest performance suitable for little runabouts, this one will top out at 85 km/h in Sport Plus mode (yes, it’s got drive modes just like a terrestrial Porsche).
Of course, at that speed and crashing over waves, the big battery will be depleted in little more than 15 minutes. Optimal cruising speed is 41 km/h (22 knots), which would give about an hour of battery life, while puttering along for a leisurely cruise on calm water can theoretically cover upwards of 100 km. Range anxiety remains a real issue in the electrified boating world, but at least the 800-volt technology will handle up to 250 kW speeds at DC fast-charging stations, should you find a marina that offers it.
The Fantom 850 Air’s cockpit has been designed by Porsche, giving it a 5-gauge display and steering wheel reminiscent of those found a 911. Gripping the familiar Porsche-crested wheel and being hugged by heavily bolstered seats feels strangely right even in this nautical setting.
The Fantom 850 Air will seat up to 9 passengers, all of whom are likely to appreciate the absence of a thundering engine and the exhaust fumes which can both diminish the enjoyment of open-top boating. The smoothness and serenity of motoring along on electricity seems entirely appropriate for a vessel finished as decadently as the Frauscher is with its lustrous paint and extensive use of teak wood.
With its limited range and charging opportunities, the Fantom 850 Air is well-suited as a luxurious lake boat, but it’s also expected to serve duty as a tender for super yachts. Range anxiety isn’t an issue if you’re just taxiing folks between the Casino de Monte-Carlo and the super yacht moored just off-shore. Twenty-five Frauscher x Porsche Fantom 850 Airs are to be produced with the first eight already sold to buyers around the world. Interested parties can place their order online, with prices starting at 561,700 Euros ($825,000).
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