Aqua superPower teams up with ZENOW

Marine fast charge network operator Aqua superPower has announced a technical partnership to the ZENOW (Zero Emissions Network of Workboats) project.

The project received £4.1m in grant funding from the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) and Innovate UK as part of the Zero Emissions Vessels and Infrastructure competition (ZEVI).

ZENOW, which is a partnership of 15 UK marine businesses and organisations, led by RS Electric Boats, brings total grant funding of £5.4 million to develop zero emission workboat operations, and deliver potential for commercial clean maritime technology.

The project will deploy twenty electric workboats, powered by five new Aqua SuperPower chargers. The project includes a three-year demonstration phase with various partners operating the vessels in representative environments.  Sea trial data will form part of the partners’ detailed work to understand and develop how electric boats are used in practice. Data will enable ZENOW to advise on adopting electric technology in a maritime environment and help shape other geographical electric networks as well, it said.

The electric workboats include thirteen Pulse 63s, five 7.9m and two 8.9m Cheetah Marine electric workboats, powered by RAD Propulsion’s RAD 40 and RAD 120 drives, which will be delivered to ten UK locations by 1 March 2025. 

Alex Bamberg, CEO of Aqua superPower, said: “Most importantly, with the data that is collected and the collaboration of the various partners, this project will provide real-use cases and open the market for electric work vessels.”

Jon Partridge, CEO of RS Electric Boats, said: “This project will empower multiple UK workboat users to start their transition to zero emission operations. It will enhance and support the market position of UK companies that provide electric boats and their supporting technologies while further strengthening aqua superPower as the leading charging network in the maritime industry.”

Jon Partridge, CEO of RS Electric Boats, said: “This kind of funding is vital in helping us to accelerate the adoption of zero emission vessels across the UK. It means we can bring together twenty commercial workboats with partners ranging from harbourmasters, universities and government agencies.”

Miles Carden from Falmouth Harbour, which will receive an RS Electric Pulse as part of the project, said: “We are working really hard to decarbonise our harbour operations. Reducing our scope one emissions is key to this. We feel that electric propulsion will have a really important role to play in decarbonising smaller harbour vessels utilising lessons learned from the growing EV market.”

Image from Aqua superPower

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