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Boat Shows

First All Electric Boat Show Hailed as a Success

Aqua superpower is installing charging stations at marinas throughout Europe.

The world’s first all-electric boat show, St. Tropez E-Marine 2021, was held in St. Tropez, France, on September 18. It was organized by the Aqua superpower charging network that had recently installed an Aqua 75 DC charger in the Port of St. Tropez. The show included electric boat manufacturers, powertrain suppliers, marina owners, port operators and municipal representatives.

The event was planned so exhibitors participating in the Mediterranean boat-show season at Genoa, Cannes and Monaco could display their wares and compare notes in St. Tropez. Local officials invited Aqua superpower to organize the first all-electric show as an educational industry showcase. It offered sea trials of many electric boats as well as dockside demonstrations of Aqua’s chargers and other equipment.

Global Representation

Electric boat builders in attendance included Italy’s Barchelettriche and Vita Yachts, Sweden’s X-Shore and Candela as well as Tenderworks from the Netherlands. Orpie Boats brought its electric trimaran and Excess Catamarans made an appearance after unveiling its new electric sailboat at Cannes a few weeks earlier.

Vita was one of the company’s with a model available for sea trials at the St. Tropez event.

Other companies included Torqeedo, the world’s best-known electric boat motor maker, Say Carbon, the world speed record holder for electric boats, the Electrojet electric personal watercraft and the Venice e-Regatta winner, e’dyn.

Bigger Show Next Year

“We thank Aqua superpower for coordinating this meeting of disruptive minds, allowing us to show the world that St. Tropez is not only a port for VIPS, it’s also a harbor with a progressive and environmentally responsible approach and vision,” said Tony Oller, port director for the Port of St. Tropez. “For us the installation of the Aqua charger is part of our ongoing sustainable marina management in the drive to decarbonization. We look forward to an even bigger event next year.”

Marine charging is becoming increasingly important as more electrically powered boats emerge. Most electrically powered boats can be charged using electric outlets at marinas, but there is a growing need for faster chargers dedicated to e-boats.

The Aqua superPower is a charging station developed exclusively for marine use.

In Norway, a group of companies that includes power utilities and boat manufacturer Evoy have started a charging network with a 150-kilowatt unit in the port of Florø. In the United States, a converted EV charger has been installed on Lake Tahoe to charge the Nautique GS22E.

Expanding Network

Aqua superpower says its mission is “to reduce the impact of boating on the marine environment through the development of an all-electric and integrated global ecosystem of marine superchargers.” The first unit was installed at the Monaco Yacht Club in 2019 and is the anchor for the company’s inaugural network that stretches from the Cote d’Azur and the Italian Ligurian Riviera.

Stations in the network are accessed through the Aqua secure app or RFID card and provide AC and DC charging with a current maximum power output of 150 kilowatts. The chargers are engineered and rated for marine environments, built to IP65 standards and constructed using recycled aluminum.

The early stage of the Aqua network includes charging stations in St. Tropez, Cannes and Monaco.

The pandemic hampered the company’s initial rollout, but the St. Tropez charger and boat show have helped Aqua superpower get on track.

“We have already had a number of marinas wishing to join the Aqua network on the back of the St. Tropez E-Marine 2021 event,” said Alex Bamberg, CEO of Aqua superpower. “As the E-Marine 2021 event demonstrates, electric boats are here now and they require the charging infrastructure we provide with our dedicated marine fast-charge network.”