New All-Electric Maid of the Mist Boats on the Way

The iconic Maid of the Mist boats in Niagara Falls will be switching to fully electric vessels later this summer and the diesel-powered boats in use since the 1990's will be taken out of service.  The new boats are under construction now in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and will be transported later this month to Niagara Falls.

The new boats will have lithium battery packs that will need only 7 minutes to recharge from an onshore charging system.  Since they're electric, that means no more diesel fumes, no more engine noise and no more fuel costs.

The new boats will be lowered into the gorge and the company that operates the boats hopes to have them in operation by September.  The boats they're replacing, Maid of the Mist VI and Maid of the Mist VII will be retired.