By Tilly Walder
On Monday, the IW Observer joined invited guests at the official launch of three new electric-boat chargers at Trinity Landing in Cowes Harbour. With a ribbon cutting ceremony by Isle of Wight MP, Bob Seely, the new charging stations have been installed at a time when we are becoming more conscious of our carbon footprint.
Gary Hall, harbour commissioner and chief executive of Cowes Harbour, said: “By putting electric chargers in, we have opened up the opportunity for people who either own electric boats, or are considering buying one, to travel from the mainland to Cowes, or vice versa, in a much more environmentally-friendly way than you would do using a conventional powered boat.”
The new equipment uses 75-kilowatt ‘fast-chargers’, making it possible for a typical seven- or eight-metre boat to be charged in approximately 30 minutes.
Gary added: “The key thing for us, as a harbour, is that we set out to reduce our carbon footprint. We had a carbon management plan put together in 2021, and we are looking at various ways we can reduce our carbon impact. These charging bays are just a small, yet key, part of the jigsaw puzzle.”
Currently, electricity used to power the charging points is taken straight from the grid, but Alex Bamberg, CEO of Aqua SuperPower, who supplied the new chargers, explained how, in the future, he hopes energy generation will come from greener sources, such as wind and solar.
He said: “The automotive world is leading the way with electric technology, and what the marine industry is doing is bringing that use of technology into the use of boating. We are in the fantastic position that, unlike the automotive, where there isn’t charging available everywhere, in the marine world, every dock has got a socket.”
Reflecting on the event, Alex said: “Britain is very far advanced in the world of electric boats, and this is a great venue today to see a number of local companies showing what they’re doing with this technology.”
Carole Dennett