Arc adopts Siemens Xcelerator software to design electric boats
Electric boat startup Arc Boat Company has adopted the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software to design and manufacture its high-performance, fully electric boats.
Long-term implementation
Founded in 2021, Arc is a venture-backed startup based in Los Angeles, California. The company designs and manufactures everything for its electric boats in-house, including battery packs, powertrain systems, thermal control systems and software.
The company’s co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO), Ryan Cook, stated, “We thought if Siemens Xcelerator is going to be our long-term software, we might as well just start with it, so we don’t have to migrate later.”
The ability to build complex parameterized models in Siemens’ NX software from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio enables Arc to develop adaptable parametric 3D models that support its rapid iteration design, build, test and redesign process. 
“There are a lot of parameters involved in hull design – deadrise, beam at chine, keel angle, etc – so we used NX to parameterize them all. With our fully parametric hull model, we would build one boat, gauge performance, collect data and tweak one or two parameters and then build a second boat based on what we learned,” said Cook. “Fast forward to today and we’re even more sophisticated because we know the performance characteristics we want out of the vehicle. With a given center of gravity and the type of shape we want to go with, we can do it in one shot with NX.”
Electric marine software
Arc uses Siemens’ Simcenter software to simulate its products. According to the companies, Arc’s focus on all-electric propulsion brings new design, engineering and manufacturing challenges, which is why the firm depends on Siemens’ simulation technologies.
The startup also uses Simcenter software to optimize the center of gravity, which is challenging due to the heavy battery pack, and to optimize across the composite hull, deck and hard top to remove weight. This lightweighting is reportedly critical to achieving required performance. Simcenter software also enables the team to carry out smaller-scale structural, vibration and thermal analysis work across the entire boat.
Arc added Teamcenter software for product lifecycle management (PLM) during the development of its second product, the Arc Sport, to optimize its product and production data management as the complexity of its product and supply chain increased. The company is expanding its operations in the recreational and wake boating industries and has announced its first steps into the commercial marine industry and an expanded line of recreational boats including the Arc Coast, a ‘center console’ all-electric vessel for fishing and other water activities.
Arc is opening a research and development facility at the port of Los Angeles and has begun to build out the charging infrastructure needed to support the goal of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to move to zero-emission equipment by 2030. It is also collaborating with Diversified Marine in Portland, Oregon, to retrofit an 8m tugboat for high-performance, zero-emission operations.
“We’re moving very quickly. It’s a lot of fun to try and apply some fundamental engineering principles to the marine industry and see if we can come up with something better. Siemens Xcelerator helps us get there quicker, develop new category-defining products that delight our customers and create the electrification revolution we want to see in the marine industry,” concluded Cook.
