Over 10 years ago, we learned that was a Jeep Wrangler-like car that was also a boat. It was an amphibious vehicle from WaterCar called Panther. WaterCar did a good job of disguising a boat as a car. Fast forward to 2023, and the folks over at WaterCar have ditched the idea of masquerading a boat as a car or vice versa. It openly lets it be known that its latest amphibious vehicle is a boat by adopting a boat-on-wheels design – complete with the exposed outboard motor.
This new amphibious vehicle is simply called the WaterCar EV. And oh yes, it is an electric vehicle now, well, at least part of it is anyways. It is very much like a flying car that is a plane pretending to be a car. There, I said it. That said, it is for leisure on water, not so much as a mode of transportation.
Two separate drivetrains power the WaterCar EV. There is the fossil fuel-powered Mercury 115 Pro X5 motor for moving across water bodies, and then there is a 48-volt lithium ion motor for land travel. All told, it has a modest 100+ miles (161+ kilometers) range. There is an option for an extended range, if anyone is keen.
The body is crafted from marine-grade 5051 and 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum. WaterCar described this boat on wheels as a “sleek neighborhood cruiser on land” which, at the push of a button, turns into an 18-foot boat. But, but… it is a boat already, isn’t it? It is just a matter of switching the motor.
Anyhoo, as far as the hull goes, it has an advanced planing boat hull design, boasting a foam-filled, virtually unsinkable hull and it features next-gen marine-grade electronics.
Somehow, the WaterCar EV feels like a boat-first vehicle designed to relieve the painful logistics of owning a boat since getting it essentially has a boat’s design and it has wheels which eliminates the need for trailers, and since you can park it in a regular garage, it will not cost you docking fees. The product specs page reaffirmed this by offering only “Marine Specs”. That said, expect a lot of exterior and interior features and accessories that do not belong to the road.
Now for the good news for boating enthusiasts; WaterCar is now accepting reservations for a US$5,000 fully refundable deposit. Do note that there is a 3-4 month wait list. The final price is not known to us.
Images: WaterCar.
