Designing a High-Performance Electric Boat with Precise Maneuverability
Control Algorithm Testing and Code Generation Accelerate Product Development
Arc, a leading innovator in electric marine technology, is engineering high-performance electric boats that improve the on-water experience while reducing noise pollution and eliminating carbon emissions. Unlike electric cars and planes, where weight is a drawback, the added mass of an electric powertrain benefits wake sports. A deeper hull creates larger, more consistent waves—something water sport enthusiasts often achieve by manually adding ballast. Arc’s design seamlessly integrates this advantage, optimizing both performance and efficiency.
Wake boats require precise maneuverability—both at high speeds for wake shaping and at low speeds for docking and navigation in tight spaces. Arc’s control algorithms optimize propulsion and steering dynamics, ensuring smooth handling across all operating conditions.
Andrew Phillips, a senior engineer on the vehicle controls team at Arc, has invested years in building, testing, and refining Arc’s sensing and control algorithms to provide precise control capabilities while maintaining a simple user experience. During product development, Arc’s vehicle controls team prioritized vehicle control integration between hardware and software to achieve the optimal design for the Arc Sport. Using in-house systems made control integrations easier, allowing the team to optimize the boat’s design and performance.
(Video credit: Arc)
Unlike traditional boats, which have a single propeller for power and steering, the Arc Sport incorporates two additional thrusters strategically placed at the bow and stern. The extra thrusters allow for highly controlled translation and rotation, ensuring smooth movement even in tight spaces, such as while a boat is docking. But more sophisticated maneuverability complicates the development challenge.
Prioritizing System Integration
Simulink® and Model-Based Design enabled Arc to accelerate development and quickly bring the product to market. Arc leverages Simulink and Simulink Test™ to design and test control features. The vehicle controls team simulates steering control algorithms to refine user-critical functions. Extensive unit testing ensures subsystems and subcomponents interact correctly before being uploaded to the boats.
“Because the software and hardware are so tightly integrated, we’re able to improve the boat through OTA updates.”
Using Embedded Coder®, the vehicle controls team translates its intricate designs from Simulink into optimized production code. The time saved enables the engineers to concentrate on feature development rather than foundational coding.
Efficiency is important, but safety is paramount. Using Embedded Coder to automate parts of code generation, Arc minimizes the likelihood of errors that could impact safety by verifying the software, both at the C-level and on the boat itself, to ensure reliability.
“The team also uses Simulink Check™ to run automated model quality checks,” says Phillips. “Simulink Check has found issues such as missed connections and automated tedious tasks, saving us considerable time.”
“Because the software and hardware are so tightly integrated, we’re able to improve the boat through over-the-air (OTA) updates,” says Phillips.
In addition to OTA updates, Arc created a robust telemetry pipeline that streams tens of thousands of data points per second on each boat. This allows the software and controls engineers to continuously track and improve the fleet’s performance with new features like reverse steering and anchorless station keeping.
Software Is Key
As a participant in the MathWorks Startup Program, Arc has access to the full suite of tools. This allowed the vehicle controls team to try different tools, such as Navigation Toolbox™, with sensor fusion functionality.
“Navigation Toolbox has been very useful for testing data and comparing results between different implementation options,” says Phillips. “We can do a sanity check on the results quickly. It’s great to have all the tools so we can focus on solving the problem.
“Being able to reuse tools and code from previous boats or previous iterations is extremely valuable.”
“Everything at Arc is fast-paced, and that’s why software is super important to us,” says Phillips. “Being able to reuse tools and code from previous boats or previous iterations is extremely valuable.”
Additionally, Simulink plays a crucial role in R&D by ensuring system performance aligns with design constraints. To verify adherence to power limits, the vehicle controls team uses Simulink to design and simulate algorithms controlling variables such as coolant flows, propeller speed, and inverter or electric motor thresholds. The team ensures that power limits and system constraints are respected to prevent critical failures such as battery shutdowns. As the boat’s software is expanded and improved, they ensure its correct functionality with extensive unit tests created with Simulink Test.
Navigating the Path Forward
Arc’s focus on innovative technology and design has positioned it as a leader in the electric boating movement. From the Arc One as a proof of concept to the most recent Arc Sport, the company is moving from small-batch production to scaling its vision.
“I’d equate it to the Tesla® Roadster,” Ryan Cook, co-founder and CTO, explains. “Our first model was proof of concept. It was a very limited quantity.” With the release of its latest model, Arc is advancing toward its goal of popularizing zero-emission marine transportation.
Arc’s touchscreen and software. (Image credit: Arc)
A worker works on wiring for the boat. (Image credit: Arc)
A partially assembled Arc Sport boat. (Image credit: Arc)
Leveraging modeling, simulation, and testing tools, Arc has optimized its boat, from battery systems to control algorithms. The MathWorks Startup Program played a crucial role in accelerating Arc’s production timeline and allowed the team to move from an initial concept to a fully realized product in just 18 months.
Arc’s fine-tuned product development processes have resulted in a vessel that maximizes power efficiency, utilizes space intelligently, and integrates intuitive controls with innovative design to push the boundaries of sustainable marine technology.
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