[dcb]

there are some opportunities to save a bit of energy with an electric water pump.

if it is brushless then it can be made very reliable.

you can delete the thermostat with the right control scheme, thermostat is basically a large pumping loss most of the time. The mechanical pump has to work against the thermostat most of the time. An electric pump only has to pump hard enough to keep the temperature correct.

install a more efficient / smart alternator and the electric options get more efficient overall. Direct drive vs belt driven would also help.

options like adding a thermos bottle to store hot coolant for later get much simpler with an electric pump.