The National Science Foundation (NSF), through the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York program, has selected propulsion specialist Photon Marine to receive a US$1 million grant that will fund development and demonstration of an electric workboat and floating charger.
The award was announced on Monday, September 28. An integrated demonstration on New York waterways is expected in late 2027 or early 2028.
The 24-foot (7.3-metre) workboat will use Photon’s Gen-7 P300 electric propulsion system, capable of producing up to 300 hp (220 kW). The project also includes a 40kW marine DC fast charger for vessels using the state’s waterways.
A 32-foot (10-metre) floating battery and charging platform will be fabricated in New York State by Derecktor Shipyards. Photon said it is intended to bring charging to locations without shoreside infrastructure, including remote fleet operations.
The platform can also enable charging between vessels and supply power during grid disruptions.
“Commercial marine electrification will only scale when operators can see that the technology works in the conditions they face every day,” said Marcelino J. Alvarez, Photon Marine’s co-founder and CEO.
Photon plans to document vessel performance, battery health, charging use, and duty cycle requirements. It also intends to examine energy transfers between vessels and possible grid applications, then produce a guide for operators assessing fleet electrification.
The new workboat will follow a multi-year evaluation by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the New York State Canal Corporation that concluded in 2025. The agencies used a leased 21-foot (6.4-metre) Silverback Marine hull fitted with Photon electric outboards (pictured), separate from the newly funded vessel [Photon outboards have also been fitted to Silverback Marine’s separate electric landing craft series, –ed].
Andrew Marzo, NYPA’s Strategic Projects Manager, said that the agencies were, “not looking at this technology as a total replacement for [their] entire workboat fleet.”
