Los Angeles-based electric boat startup Arc Boats has announced the newest addition to its recreational fleet and the application of its technology to the commercial boat space.

The 24-ft all-electric Coast is intended to reimagine the center console format, being a modern take on a go-to boat configuration for everything from fishing trips to sandbar hangouts, according to the company. Perhaps more significant than the Coast was Arc’s announced foray in April into the commercial market.

 

Electric center console

Arc says the Coast is a social-first design with smart helm tech and powerful electric performance designed for comfort and built for connection. Coming to market in 2026, it features a powertrain with more torque and less maintenance than gasoline competitors.

“People love center consoles, but gas engines have held back their full potential,” said Mitch Lee, Arc’s CEO and co-founder. “The Arc Coast is what you get when you start from scratch: quiet, exhilarating performance powered by advanced software, paired with an ownership experience free from many of the headaches common with today’s gas boats.”

With the new boat, which joins Arc’s fleet of fully electric One and Sport vessels, the company aims to improve the format’s experience that hasn’t evolved because “gas engines are still loud, layouts are still cluttered, and ownership is still burdensome.”

The boat’s open deck layout comfortably seats ten and adapts to how people use boats today—from casting a line to lounging with friends. Its electric motor powers a compact sterndrive rather than a bulky outboard, opening the transom area for a full-beam swim platform and expansive sun pad. That means more usable space at the waterline—and a quieter, cleaner experience without the noise, fumes, or obstruction of traditional engines. And the Coast is fishing-ready with a live well, insulated fishboxes, and plenty of rod stands.

“A center console should feel inviting, but giant outboard motors are usually in the way,” said David Imai, Arc’s Chief of Design. “Rethinking the Arc Coast’s design without that constraint allows us to bring people closer to the water and each other. Utility doesn’t require sacrificing comfort.”

The boat’s streamlined helm eliminates the clutter of traditional center consoles, replaced the mess of gauges and knobs with a modern dual-touchscreen interface and intuitive controls. It’s backed by advanced telemetry that powers real-time diagnostics, navigation, and fish finder systems.

“Most center console helms feel generations old,” said Ted Herringshaw, Arc’s Head of Product. “There’s a lot of unnecessary complexity. We took the opportunity to build an integrated solution that’s cleaner and more inviting, with all the staples, including chart plotting.”

Arc designs its software in-house to integrate every aspect of the boat’s operation and make captaining reliable and easy. Over-the-air updates refine performance and add new features, so its boats get better with time.

The Coast is powered by the same high-voltage battery system used in the Sport, delivering instant torque, silent acceleration, and minimal maintenance. By using its proven electric platform and building every major system in-house, Arc aims to bring the Coast from concept to production in under a year. The company says that its vertically integrated approach gives it the ability to deliver modern design and exhilarating performance at a competitive price.

The propulsion system delivers instant torque and quiet power for quicker coastal cruising, without a gas engine drowning conversation or spewing fumes. The fiberglass-hull Coast features 298 kW for a top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h).

Overnight charging of the 226-kW·h lithium-ion battery pack provides all-day range and gasoline-line skipping. Ditching gas minimizes maintenance, and the boat’s durable construction is easy to hose down to maximize saltwater resilience.

The Coast starts well-equipped at $168,000. Customers can reserve one with a fully refundable $250 deposit at arcboats.com.

 

Tugboat-powered commercial expansion

For Arc’s entry into the commercial market, the company is bringing the first electric, truckable tugboat to the Port of Los Angeles. It is retrofitting a 26-ft-long tug in a new partnership with Portland shipyard Diversified Marine Inc., ushering in a new era of electric workboats at the Western Hemisphere’s busiest port and beyond. This first tug is a prototype ready to scale.

“At Arc, our mission has always been to electrify the entire marine industry,” said Lee. “Workboats are a big step towards that end. We’re excited to enter the commercial market with the most advanced maritime technology available. And this project sets the stage for our future efforts.”

The electrification benefits are immense for tugboats, the backbone of ports for moving barges, repositioning cranes, and guiding larger vessels. Most run on diesel and are decades old. Fuel and maintenance drive more than half of a tugboat’s substantial operating costs.

Tugs run short, repetitive missions requiring high torque, and they start and end at the same home base. Not only does that make them well-suited to going electric, but doing so also drastically reduces operating expenses. Reliability and uptime, critical measurements for commercial operators, also improve.

“It just makes sense,” said Robert Binkowski, Arc’s Research and Development lead. “This is the future of every port in the world.”

This tugboat is powered by Arc’s electric powertrain and software based on the same high-voltage architecture of the Arc Sport. The vessel features a 600-hp dual-motor drivetrain, large lithium-ion battery packs, modernized captain’s helm, real-time performance monitoring, and split assembly construction for land transport.

Arc says its vertical integration across both hardware and software enables it to deliver unrivaled performance and capabilities and its existing supply chain and production process allow it to build more affordably.

“We’re not starting from scratch,” Binkowski added. “We’re leveraging our substantial engineering resources and IP from our consumer platform. We want to make anything that lives full-time in the harbor zero-emission.”

The Los Angeles and Long Beach port complex organization says it handles more trade than any other container port in the Western Hemisphere, or around 76% of all waterborne goods that move in and out of the West Coast and 31% nationally.

With that comes environmental challenges, said Kofi Asante, Arc’s VP of Business Development, of high levels of air pollutants that have been linked to negative health risks, according to CalMatters. “We have the technology and team to make a real impact.”

Electrifying workboats will help the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports advance toward their clean-air goals of transitioning to zero-emission equipment by 2030 and zero-emission trucks by 2035, with harbor craft to follow. Replacing the roughly 2000 tugs in the U.S. could save over 1.6 million cars worth of greenhouse gas emissions annually, according to WorkBoat.

“This is important and critical to our economy,” added Asante. “Tugboats allow us to scale our technology in a logical way that addresses a range of needs. Our retrofit is the beginning of a major workboat transition.”

Earlier this month, Arc announced the launch of a waterfront R&D facility at AltaSea’s historic complex to accelerate the Port of Los Angeles’ electric transition. There, the company will develop, test, and deploy the next generation of electric harbor craft, with the site hosting the port’s first dedicated tugboat charging hub. AltaSea is a hub for marine technology, hosting carbon removal startups and aquaculture labs, and is housed at the harbor’s oldest shipping dock.

“Decarbonization at our ports is a critical step to achieving real, substantive climate progress,” said Terry Tammimen, AltaSea’s President and CEO. “We are excited to welcome Arc to our campus. Their boats and charging infrastructure will help make the Port of Los Angeles a global model for sustainable maritime operations.”