Photo / Courtesy, Temo USA
Nicholas Steenberg, Temo USA’s business development manager, opened a sales office in Portland and warehouse in Scarborough.
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French maker of electric boat motors opens first US subsidiary in Portland
Photo / Courtesy, Temo USA
Nicholas Steenberg, second from right, with folks from North Atlantic Inflatables in Brunswick, holding the Temo electric motor.
Slowly but surely, electric motors are gaining traction among recreational and commercial boaters in Maine.
Maine Electric Boat in Biddeford said it has installed more than a dozen electric propulsion systems on sailboats and powerboats in the past five years, and expects to expand into commercial work vessels.
A Freeport aquaculture company, Maine Ocean Farms, said it commissioned a custom-built electric workboat. Last year, Pendleton Yacht Yard on Islesboro unveiled a fully electric boat — aptly named Take Charge.
Now a new player is in the game.
Temo, a French manufacturer of electric outboard motors for boats, has launched U.S. operations with a sales office in Portland and warehouse space in Scarborough.
Brand development
Temo registered its subsidiary, Temo USA Inc., as a Delaware corporation, but the business is headquartered at the New England Ocean Cluster at 68 Commercial St. in Portland.
The warehouse space, at 45 Center St. in Scarborough, will handle distribution and after-sales support, Temo USA’s business development manager, Nicholas Steenberg, told Mainebiz. The warehouse is in partnership with Isafold Distribution Center.
“The company is fully operational to accelerate the development of its brand in North America,” Steenberg said.
Temo, founded in 2018 by Alexandre Seux and Justine Perussell, is headquartered in Vannes, France, with 28 employees in all.
The electric motors are manufactured in Nantes, France, with Temo’s partner, Sercel, a French company that supports the growth and development of startups in their industrialization phase.
In 2021, Temo brought its first product to market, a 450-watt motor that offers 200W of propulsion. That can propel a boat in up to 3 knots of current, according to the company. The 450 motor weighs 11 pounds and is designed for tenders and light boats.
Photo / Courtesy, Temo USA
French company Temo launched a U.S. subsidiary last month in Portland, to distribute its electric motors.
The 450 has won several awards in the U.S., including Sail magazine’s Pittman Innovation Award in 2022 and the International Boatbuilders' Exhibition and Conference ‘s IBEX Innovation Award in Tampa in 2023.
The company’s second line, the Temo 1000, weighs 35 pounds and is designed for larger tenders and small sailboats up to 26 feet long.
The company manufactures about 2,500 motors per year and sources 70% of its parts from companies in France.
First US subsidiary
Altogether, more than 5,000 units have been sold worldwide, including 500 to U.S. and Canadian buyers since the company's launch one year ago in the North American market, said Steenberg.
Temo recently debuted a third line — a 450 made from carbon fiber, which weighs 10 pounds and has 15% larger battery capacity.
Photo / Courtesy, Temo USA
The company’s latest product is a 10-pound electric motor made from carbon fiber.
Temo USA Inc. is the company's first subsidiary in another country.
“Establishing the company in the United States is a key step in our business development,” said Seux. “It should enable us to strengthen our presence in the field and rapidly gain market share in this territory, which we know has strong potential."
The name “Temo” is derived from Latin, and is an ancient word for a steering oar. "Think what the Vikings used to steer their ships before the modern rudder was invented,” said Steenberg.
Maine advantage
Steenberg is familiar with the Maine market.
“I grew up further north on the coast in Penobscot, and have lived in Maine and sailed on Maine waters for most of my life, until I was 23 years old,” he said.
Now 29, he’s lived in Portland for the past three years.
A couple of factors make Maine an attractive place for Temo to get started in the North American market, he said.
“While not being a large state population-wise, Maine has the highest percentage of household recreational boat owners in the country, at 33.1%” — behind Alaska at 32.2%, New Hampshire at 29.7% and Minnesota at 27.8%, he said.
“Maine boat owners frequently keep their sailboats on moorings or anchor, and use a dinghy or tender to make the ship-to-shore trips, with either oars, paddles or a small outboard motor,” he continued. “This is the exact use case that the Temo 450 motor was designed for, with its lightweight design, integrated battery, and portable form factor.”
The motors are designed specifically with sailors in mind, he noted.
Steenberg is currently the subsidiary’s only employee, but there are plans to expand the team in 2025.
“As we continue to grow, we will be looking to hire in the southern Maine region and expand the team locally,” he said. “Our first priority will be to fill a marketing manager position, with customer service, sales and further administrative positions to follow. The overall goal is to stay Maine-based with a local team, while expanding sales throughout North America.”
The company has partnerships in place with local marine dealers such as Hamilton Marine and North Atlantic Inflatables, and work is underway to expand the dealer network around the country, he said.
Electric outboard motors offer benefits that include significantly reduced carbon dioxide emissions — even when charged with non-renewable energy sources — the nonprofit Island Institute in Rockland has said. Other benefits include less water pollution, more predictable operating costs and quiet operation.
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