Published by Mainebiz on July 20, 2026.
A kelp farmer off Long Island in Casco Bay is the first participant in a pilot project by a French electric propulsion maker and Rockland nonprofit Island Institute to test the real-world operational limits of low-voltage electric propulsion in the demanding environments of New England’s working waterfront.
“Safety can’t be compromised when working on the water in Maine in winter,” said kelp farmer and fisherman Nathan Johnson. “You really need an alternative propulsion source you can count on to get home for peace of mind. If you get stuck, it’s possible there could be no one on the water for miles.”
Johnson owns Shearwater Ventures LLC, a kelp farming operation he founded in 2015.
The project centers on the installation and multi-season field-testing of a TEMO·1000 electric outboard motor on Johnson’s 18-foot Rosborough skiff. Tests will measure how well the system performs at water temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as under heavy harvest loads and during active fishing operations.
French manufacturer
The motor is made by Temo, a French manufacturer of electric outboard motors founded in 2018. U.S. operations launched as Temo USA Inc. in 2024, with a sales office at the New England Ocean Cluster, 68 Commercial St., in Portland and warehouse space at 45 Center St. in Scarborough.
In 2021, the company brought its first product to market, a 450-watt motor for tenders and light boats. The second line, the Temo 1000, weighs 35 pounds and is designed for larger tenders and small sailboats up to 26 feet long.
Electric outboard motors offer benefits that include significantly reduced carbon dioxide emissions, even when charged with non-renewable energy sources, the Island Institute has said. Other benefits include less water pollution, more predictable operating costs and quiet operation.
Grant funding
The project is funded by a $3,000 grant from the institute’s Glenn Fund Community Impact Grants program.
“We support pilots like this because seeing is believing,” Lia Morris, senior community development officer at Island Institute, told Mainebiz. “A boat like Nathan’s operating on the water in Maine’s diverse seasonal conditions does more to convince the next boat operator than anything else. By providing technical expertise and financial support, we’re creating opportunities for more commercial boat operators to see firsthand what’s possible and to experience a different type of electric motor.”
