Epoch aims to reduce recreational boating’s impact on the environment by advancing the adoption of electric boating
Many companies celebrate Earth Day as an annual date devoted to focusing on their commitment to the environment. But when you’re focused on sustainability every day, Earth Day can in some ways feel like any other day.
In honor of this year’s Earth Day we thought we’d share the goals we strive for as it relates to the environment.
As a climate tech startup we often find ourselves balancing capitalism and devotion to the environment. The good news for us is that the two goals are not mutually exclusive – we CAN be a green AND successful boat builder.
Epoch Boats Environmental Goals
Epoch Boats aims to reduce recreational boating’s impact on the environment, and we will achieve that goal by transitioning recreational boaters to our high-performance hydrofoil electric boats that are engineered to be more efficient and eco-friendly.
The recreational boating industry is estimated to consume / emit / pollute the following amounts every year:
✔️ 1.5 billion gallons of fuel consumed
✔️ 150 million gallons of fuel and oil spilled/dumped into waterways
✔️ 600 million car equivalents of non CO2 emissions (NOx, COx, HCs)
✔️ 7.6 megatons CO2 avoidance
Internal combustion engine boats burn fossil fuels for propulsion and onboard power generation. This results in outsized pollution including both direct fuel and oil spills and exhaust emissions. Because catalytic converters found on modern automobiles don’t work in the marine environment, boat engines are legally allowed to emit about 150x more non-CO2 emissions than highway vehicles. The end result is that the recreational marine industry emits the same amount of non-CO2 exhaust emissions as 600 million cars in a given year.
We see electrification as the path to reducing these emissions. Electric boats drastically reduce emissions associated with on-water activities. With renewable power sources, local emissions can be reduced by as much as 99%.
With current technology and nominal use cases, we could electrify ~70% of the recreational boating industry overnight. This would result in a expected equivalent reduction of the previously mentioned forms of pollution. As EV technology advances, we’ll get the remaining 30%!
The best part is that we can do all of this with products that are better for boat owners!
Epoch Boats brings real advantages to boaters over traditional boats, helping to improve the adoption of electric boating:
✅ Equivalent purchase price to ICE options
✅ Less maintenance and downtime
✅ Smooth quiet rides
✅ Hundreds to thousands in electricity bill savings
✅ ~$1k per year in fuel and maintenance savings
✅ No worries about ethanol fuel
✅ Ability to avoid 7.6 megatons of CO2
We believe Epoch’s fast, fun, high performance, long range electric boats will result in many American boaters converting to electric boats and contribute to a shared environmental goal of advancing a more sustainable way of boating.