ePropulsion wins Green Innovator Award
ePropulsion UK has won the first MDL Green Innovator Award, presented at the second annual Green Tech Boat Show, held June 17 and 18 in Plymouth, England.
The Green Tech Show had dozens of electric boats and motor companies exhibiting, along with others showing off technologies designed to clean up ocean waters, reduce emissions and demonstrating other environmental initiatives.
Read about exhibitors at the 2022 Green Tech Boat Show
The Show created the Green Innovator Award this year to recognize the products and services at the show which are truly pioneering in sustainable innovation and design. The awards were decided via a public vote and both startups and established companies were eligible.
“We’re delighted to win the first Green Innovator Award, especially with the quality of product and innovation being shown by the other companies here at this year’s Green Tech Boat Show,” says Steve Bruce from ePropulsion UK, the distributor of ePropulsion’s electric marine products across the UK. “We’ve been pushing sustainable boating and electric propulsion since 2014 and we’re pleased to be recognised for our endeavours.”
Green Innovator Award, Innovation Hub new for 2022
The award is another accomplishment for Steve (far right in photo above), who added to his clean marine resume and responsibilities with the announcement that the parent ePropulsion company has purchased a majority stake in ePropulsion UK, and Steve will be the new Global OEM Sales Director for ePropulsion, reporting directly to founder and CEO Danny Tao.
Coming in a very close second was Pixii Electric Boats, showcasing its pioneering electric boats built using recycled materials. The company is another company fresh off exciting news, having completed a successful crowdfunding campaign on the Seedrs platform. Ecomotus, with its catalytic hydrogen system designed to reduce emissions and work in harmony with existing internal combustion engines, came in third place.
The Green Tech Boat was launched in 2021 by MDL Marinas, one of the largest marina companies in the UK and Europe with over 20 major marinas and 7,000 boat berths under management.
The show is part of their Green Strategy mission to “become the UK’s most sustainable marina group, developing a culture of environmental awareness and care amongst its customers and teams.” MDL has have close to 1,000 solar panels installed at various marinas and are int he process of installing high speed electric boat chargers from Aqua superPower.
The inaugural Show drew an excellent and enthusiastic crowd, considering the restrictions then in place for COVID-19. This year the show grew bigger by one third, with 30 exhibitors and over 600 people attending over two days. It has been deemed a huge success in bringing together green businesses and potential buyers and boating enthusiasts keen to really understand the sustainable options available to them.
Second Green Tech Show bigger by a 1/3
“It’s wonderful to see the number of exhibitors increasing, and whether they’re start-ups or established businesses expanding their portfolios, they all have one thing in common – a passion to make boating more sustainable so that it can be enjoyed for years to come,” says Tim Mayer, sales and marketing director at MDL.
Exhibiting at the show for the first time, RanMarine Technology showcased its waterborne waste collecting WasteShark. RanMarine Sales director Darren Kirby says: “It’s these types of events which are so important for us to see how the industry looks, where we fit in and what potential opportunities exist. It really is encouraging to see the level of innovation and talk to likeminded industry professionals about the benefits we can have collectively on our environments.”
Boating systems specialist, Vetus is already planning on exhibiting next year. “We felt the show was rewarding, with interest in repowers and new build projects from both trade and public,” says Richard Lythgoe, area sales manager. “The marine industry is following the automotive industry in terms of green technology and the demand for more environmentally friendly products will only increase in the future.”
Read about the Vetus system installed on the Old Nick canalboat
Aside from giving consumers the opportunity to get hands on experience with new electric boats, motors and green technology, the Show is also becoming an important part of the boat industry schedule. This year’s Innovation Hub, sponsored by University of Plymouth, presented a series of informative talks and discussions on research projects currently underway to safeguard the marine environment.
A selection of the eco-exhibitors explained the sustainability benefits of their products, and how they enable people to have a more environmentally friendly boating experience.
MDL has confirmed that the Green Tech Boat Show will return to Plymouth next year June 15-17. Companies interested in exhibiting should contact Tim Mayer at t.mayer@mdlmarinas.co.uk.
