An electric boat company makes quiet waves in Biddeford
Courtesy / Matt Tarpey
Maine Electric Boat Co. rents and sells electric boats on the Saco River.
Matt Tarpey, co-founder and president of Maine Electric Boat Co., said he’s used to people laughing at him and his vision for electric boats.
Tarpey, however, sees his future when he looks at Europe and Canada and what has been done there to advance electric boating.
“In the U.S., you get really strange looks about electric motors. Europe is the realm of 20 years ahead of us,” he told Mainebiz. “Initially I had some people laughing at us. Now, I shrug it off because I see this as the way the world is going.”
Founded about three years ago, Maine Electric Boat in Biddeford sells and rents electric boats on the Saco River.
Tarpey’s company uses boats from Vision Marine Technologies of Canada, which recently started building electric vessels with the equivalent power of a 180-horsepower engine, able to reach speeds of 60 mph. Maine Electric Boat’s models currently have a maximum speed of 45 mph.
“Ideally, over time, the cost of batteries will come down. Currently that’s what makes the cost higher than gas-powered engines. You’re buying a battery and essentially paying for the fuel up front for years,” he said. “I hope the government sees fit to incentivize the boat industry batteries,” he said.
The boats need to be charged for four hours to get eight hours of use. For the rental industry or day trippers, that’s a viable option, Tarpey said.
Maine Electric Boat has financed itself with loans to buy three boats and immediately sold two. Those proceeds helped jump-start the business, which is essentially run by Tarpey with some peripheral help from his father’s business, Rumery’s Boat Yard.
Tarpey knows there is push-back from skeptics who think electric boats are too slow or expensive or impractical. But he’s committed.
“If this doesn’t work out, I can be 100% OK with failing at this,” he said. “I can be proud of what I’m doing. A lot of people just don’t know about electric boats yet.”
Most Recent
Most Recent
I have a Bolt electric car. You need to pay attention to your energy consumption and what remains, but it is a great way to travel. While there are lots of gas stations on land, on the water you have to plan your trip the same way, knowing you can’t refill in the middle of the ocean.
1 Comments