Grand Traverse Bay has a new research boat — and it’s all-electric.
The Freshwater Research Innovation Center in Traverse City bought the boat last month using a state grant that aims to transition the maritime industry to clean energy.
This story is made possible through a partnership between Interlochen Public Radio and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
The center’s purchase joins efforts around Grand Traverse Bay to expand the footprint of electric boats and chargers.
The 24-foot rigid inflatable boat, built by the company Vita Power, is docked at Discovery Pier, where it will be used by students and scientists starting next spring to collect samples, map the lakebed or do other research on the Great Lakes.
Matt McDonough, CEO of Discovery Pier, hopes the vessel can be a model for the region.
“If you’re connected to a resource, even through recreation, you’re going to start to care about that a little more,” he said. “So if we can promote electric boating as a viable alternative to petroleum-based motors on boats, then that’s a good thing.”
Without a gas-powered motor, there are no exhaust fumes or chance of fuel spill into the lakes, according to McDonough. Another plus — there’s almost no noise from the vessel.
“It’s really cool,” he said. “You’re hearing the water under the hull, but you’re not hearing the motor.”
Electric boats also don’t emit any planet-warming pollution.
Expanding access to electric boats and charging stations is part of Michigan’s broader climate strategy to transition the state’s maritime sector to cleaner sources of energy.
Backed by state grants, there’s already charging stations around Grand Traverse Bay, including at Discovery Pier and marinas in Northport and Elk Rapids.
At the Elk Rapids Marina, where a charger has been installed since 2023, co-owner Lewis Cooper III said he’s seen a few boats use the station, but as of now, most people are plugging in their electric jet skis.
“We actually see people buy the jet ski and then come over and take advantage of the supercharger, like you would a supercharger at the Meijer parking lot with your car,” Cooper said.
He wants to plan open house events next year to increase awareness around electric boating, plus promote the marina's showroom that stocks some electric vessels.
Industry experts said electric boats are still a new, growing market.
Scott Canning, vice president of business development for ATV Power which developed the new research boat, said challenges remain for the industry like high costs and boaters’ “range anxiety” about the availability of chargers.
But as interest and awareness grows, Canning said there’s ways to bring prices down through government incentives and increasing the volume of production.
“Michigan has so many kinds of boating,” he said. Michigan consistently ranks in the top five of U.S. states with the most boat registrations, mostly because of its more-than-3,000-miles of Great Lakes shoreline, plus the large number of rivers and inland lakes.
From research vessels to speedboats to jet skis, Canning said “there’s an electric solution for most of those.”
