WaVeS #16 – electric boats and boating news January 16, 2024
Plugboats WaVeS (Watts, Amps, Volts, Electrons) is an occasional collection of electric boat news and electric boating items that we have written about before and are updating, or items we are going to write about but are waiting for more information / developments – or items that are just tidbits you might find interesting.
So without further ado, here is WAVES #15, with electric boat and boating news about:
- Three electric boat companies make list of Europe’s 50 best eco start ups
- UIM E1 World Championship begins February 2, appoints Peregrine MLS as official logistics supplier.
- Yachting Ventures Announces Sponsorship of Riviera Racing Team for Monaco Energy Boat Challenge 2024
- TEMO outboards expands international distribution
- Irish Company Markets Boat With Deck Made From Solar Panels
- New Damen offshore service vessel can be charged with turbines
Three electric boat companies make list of Europe’s 50 best eco start ups
The European Startup Prize for mobility (EUSP) is an EU-founded acceleration and investment program to to support and scale up smart and sustainable mobility startups all across Europe. This year they received a record 700 applications, from all across Europe (and its neighbourhood), covering all sectors of mobility, proposing various business models, company sizes and maturity levels.
Three electric boat and boating companies made it to the top 50, selected through a ‘rigorous and uncompromising methodology’ performed by over 100 independent evaluators.
Congratulations to:
- Aqua superPower, the global marine charging network summarized in the awards as “Making the dream of protecting our oceans and rivers come true by decarbonizing maritime transport through the electrical revolution in boating.”
- hyke, the Norwegian builder of futuristic-looking autonomous electric ferries for urban shuttle applications. “We aim to restore urban waterways with a network of sleek, autonomous ready, and all-electric water shuttles that cut emissions, reduce travel times, and save money.”
- Sealence, who design and make the DeepSpeed electric hydrojet propulsion system: “A new era started in the marine world! SEALENCE has created an unprecedented high-efficiency, high-speed electric jet naval propulsion. Prepare for a revolutionary shift in the leisure and commercial marine.”
- Zeabuz, which offers a number of autonomous solutions for sustainable water transportation, including the world’s first commercial self-driving passenger ferry, which began operations in June 2023, connecting Kungsholmen and Södermalm in Sweden.
In recent months Zeabuz has also won the River Mobility prize by VNF (Voies Navigables de France) and Sealence was chosen to be part of the “ICONS, Voices of Design Made in Italy” exhibit at the the M7 Museum in Doha, Qatar, as the propulsion system powering Persico Marine’s innovative new hyperboat, the ZAGATO 100.2.
Aqua superPower hyke Sealence Persico Marine European Startup Awards
UIM E1 World Championship begins February 2, appoints Peregrine MLS as official logistics supplier.
The UIM E1 World Championship begins February 2 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and one of the challenges for an event of this magnitude and technical sophistication is ensuring that all equipment arrives on time in pristine conditions.
Peregrine MLS has been appointed to be in charge of these logistics and have designed the customized solutions that will ensure the essential equipment and materials used in Jeddah – and for the rest of the E1 circuit competitions – are safely packaged for transportation from race to race as the championship docks in major cities across the world.
Peregrine is not a household name – unless your household is involved in some of the world’s most high tech, high performance competitive pursuits. The company has years of experience and expertise across motorsport, automotive, rail, military, robotics and the space sectors.
When the highly anticipated EI Series launches in Jeddah, there will be 8 teams competing, owned by some of the world’s biggest celebrity names:
- Team Mexico, owned by Mexican Formula One Red Bull Racing driver Sergio”Checo” Pérez
- Team Nadal, owned by the Rafael ‘Rafa’ Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, including a record 14 French Open titles.
- Team Drogba, owned by Ivory Coast-born footballer Drogba Tébilym, who is the fourth highest goal scorer of all time for UK’s legendary Chelsea team.
- Team Brady, owned by Tom Brady, the former NFL quarterback who many say is the greatest of all time, having led his teams to a record seven Super Bowl victories.
- Aoki Racing Team, owned by Steve Aoki, the highest-grossing electronic dance music artist in North America from tours, who has collaborated with everyone from will.i.am to Linkin Park to blink-182 to Backstreet Boys.
- Team Blue Rising, owned by Indian international cricketer Virat Kohu – former captain of the Indian national cricket team and widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket, and the best of the 21st century.
- Team Miami, owned by four-time Grammy Award and eight-time Latin Grammy Award winner Marc Anthony, who has sold more than 12 million albums worldwide, and
- Team Brazil, owned by Bolivian-American technology entrepreneur, businessman, and investor Marcelo Claure. He is currently the founder and CEO of Claure Group, the Executive Chairman of Bicycle Capital, and Group Vice Chairman for online retailer and fast-fashion brand Shein
Yachting Ventures sponsors Cambridge team for Monaco Energy Boat Challenge 2024
Yachting Ventures, the global hub for startups and scaleups in the leisure marine industry, has announced that it will be one of the sponsors of the Riviera Racing Team from the University of Cambridge in the 2024 Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (MEBC) this July.
The MEBC brings together yachting visionaries and engineering students from around the world to showcase their zero-emission innovations. Hosted by the Yacht Club de Monaco, the event has become the epicentre for groundbreaking ideas in alternative energy sources for yachting. Since its inception in 2014, the challenge has grown in popularity, fostering crucial conversations on the sustainability of the marine leisure industry. Last year, the competition saw the participation of 46 teams representing 25 nationalities, all pushing the boundaries of innovation on the water.
Read the Plugboats report on the 2023 MEBC and Hydrogen Conference
The Riviera Racing Team from the University of Cambridge has dedicated the past 11 months to the development and testing of their innovative design for the 2024 competition. Inspired by aerofoils, the team’s catamaran aims to lift out of the water and also features integrated solar panels and a bespoke electric pod collaboratively designed with French company Pulling-e propulsion.
Gabbi Richardson, Founder of Yachting Ventures, says “This Bronze sponsorship underscores Yachting Ventures’ dedication to supporting cutting-edge initiatives and highlights our company’s recognition of the importance of fostering emerging talent and ideas in the yachting community.”
Riviera Racing Team Yachting Ventures Pulling e Propulsion Monaco Energy Boat Challenge
TEMO outboards expands international distribution
TEMO, the French developer and manufacturer of the lightest outboard motor in the world, has added 3 new distribution and sales partners: Battagli Marine Hardware in Italy, E-Boating in Denmark and I-sea Group Brazil – who will help the TEMO brand broaden its network and accelerate international development.
Italian specialist Battagli Marine Hardware imports and distributes of some of the biggest marine brands on the national market. Co-owner Giovanni Battagl says he is “Delighted to welcome TEMO to our stable of brands. Its first 450W motor has proved to be a truly innovative, unique product of excellent quality, and right in tune with the Italian market, which is increasingly looking for this type of powertrain.”
In Denmark, TEMO will be working with E-Boating, led by CEO Gert Larsen. E-Boating is known for its expertise in electric motors and also acts as an after-sales service centre. It is looking to expand to become the country’s specialist in electric powertrains, offering a first-class service to yachtsmen. In their own words, “TEMO was created by passionate sailors dedicated to the world of sailing and the seafaring lifestyle. Their vision is to promote the pleasure of sailing by creating innovative and sustainable solutions that remove limits and respect our fragile marine ecosystem. That’s why we’re delighted to be starting a collaboration with them.”
TEMO is also getting its first foothold in South America thanks to a new Brazilian distributor, the I-sea Group. They already offer several European brands, including Cristec, a French specialist in energy conversion for on-board applications. I-Sea had the TEMO·450 on display at the São Paulo Boat Show in September and it proved a big hit with boaters. “Temo is a revolutionary new product compared to the traditional products available here,” says Fabio Guidon, Sales Director. “Instead of the traditional design, the engine appears particularly ergonomic and easy to transport. What’s exciting for us is that people are surprised when they see it for the first time.”
TEMO Battagli Marine Hardware E-Boating I-Sea Group
Irish company develops boat with deck made of solar panels
There are many electric boats, both big and small, that can be charged in whole or in part from solar panels. But those photovoltaic cells are normally on the roof or roofs of the boat – or in the case of the Sunreef 80, actually integrated into the composite materials of the entire hull.
Waterways Industrial, based in Northern Ireland, has a different take. Their Gridbeater Amphibian pontoon boat is propelled by an electric outboard that charged from solar panels on the Gridbeater’s deck.
Richard Bell of Waterways Industrial told Carlton Reid of Forbes magazine “Unlike other glazed solar panels, these have a covering that enables them to be walked on and hence suitable as a deck material.”
Bell said the solar panels are made to a unique design by a small Chinese company with whom Waterways has a working relationship on other products.
Waterways specializes in off-grid solar panels and nomadic solar power stations for multiple applications. They also offer solar panels for boats and houseboats, and the idea of putting solar panels on boat decks grew out of that.
The company is based in Antrim, on the shores of Lough Neagh, where a prototype of the Gridbeater raised funds for air ambulance and rescue charities earlier this year. The Gridbeater Amphibian sells for about £9,500 ($12,500 US, €11,000).
New Damen offshore service vessel can be charged with turbines
Damen Shipyards Group has launched a fully electric Service Operations Vessel (SOV) with offshore charging capabilities that can pave the way for significantly reduced emissions in the maintenance of offshore wind farms.
Getting crews out to service offshore turbines is a complicated and challenging operation and has a considerable carbon footprint when fossil fuel boats are used.
Damen undertook studies to assess the feasibility of an electric SOV to dramatically increase sustainability of vessel operations at offshore wind farms and quickly established that technically it would be possible. However, two main questions were to be answered. Firstly, for this to be possible, offshore charging capabilities would be required. Secondly, given that this model represents an increase in CAPEX costs, it had to be established if there was a healthy business case.
Damen partnered with UK-based MJR Power & Automation – a company that has previously developed an offshore charging system for a crew transfer vessel – to develop a system that is fast, efficient and, above all, safe.
The charging system uses the motion-compensated gangway to create a connection between the vessel and a turbine or substation offshore, in much the same way a personnel transfer is undertaken. Damen and MJR selected the charging method in order to maximise safety and efficiency. The gangway is controlled from the wheelhouse, requiring no manual interaction with charging equipment. It has the added benefit of utilizing pre-existing offshore infrastructure, thereby adding considerable cost-efficiency.
The ship, is 70 meters long (230 feet) and has 60 cabins to accommodate its crew and technicians. Charging is carried out while the vessel is in a low power DP-mode, requiring less energy than the hotel load. A full charge typically requires energy produced in just a few hours by a single turbine.
You can read more about the system »» here.
