Amphibious vehicles have always held a certain allure, blurring the lines between land and water. At the Autopian, we're constantly intrigued by these unique machines. Today, we delve into the story of the WaterCar EV, an amphibious car that defies expectations in more ways than one.

Unraveling the Mysteries of the WaterCar EV

From Car Bodies To Amphibians

The WaterCar is the brainchild of Dave March. With a background in autobody repair since the 1970s, March founded Fountain Valley Bodyworks in 1975. His fascination with the Amphicar led him to restore it multiple times, but he was disappointed with its performance. This inspired him to build a better amphibious vehicle.In the 1990s, March began developing his amphibious vehicle project and founded WaterCar in 1999. Over the years, they produced three prototypes, including the wild Python, a six-seat boat and SUV powered by a Chevy Corvette ZR1. Despite its impressive power, it never went into production due to high costs.The first production vehicle was the $135,000 WaterCar Panther. It looks like a Jeep and uses Wrangler parts, but has a custom chromoly steel frame and a 3.7-liter Acura V6 engine. It can reach 80 mph on land and 45 mph on water, and accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds on land.

No Wake Zone

As of early this year, WaterCar introduced the WaterCar EV. It's essentially a boat with retractable wheels and an EV drive system. The marketing claims it seamlessly blends sporty performance with luxurious comfort on both land and water.However, upon closer inspection, things get complicated. There are two versions of the WaterCar EV. The WaterCar EV Hybrid Sport comes with a 115 HP Mercury Pro XS Sport outboard (a pure gas engine) and can reach 35 mph on water. On land, it uses a 6.7 HP Yamaha electric motor and a 72V battery for a top speed of 25 mph and a range of 20 miles. This is far from sporty or luxurious.The WaterCar EV Fully Electric has the same land drive system but swaps the gas outboard for a Mercury Avator 35e outboard with its own batteries. It has 8 HP and a top speed of 5 mph on water.

The Buyer

WaterCar believes the WaterCar EV is ideal for those living close to a lake and不想 deal with the logistical problems of owning a boat. It doesn't need a trailer and fits into most garages. However, for those with waterfront property or living further than 10 miles from a lake, it may not be the best choice.Boat-owning readers have noted that the amphibian has mediocre performance as both a boat and on the road. It can be outrun by partygoers on a pontoon boat, and its on-road performance doesn't match the marketing. The best customers may be beachfront boat rental companies or tour operators.In a way, WaterCar has come full circle. Their mission was to build a better vehicle than the Amphicar, and the Panther siblings achieve that. But the WaterCar EV is actually slower than the original Amphicar. Nevertheless, it's still a testament to the continued fascination with amphibious vehicles.