Ontario and Quebec to install electric boat chargers
Aqua superPower, X-Shore EELEX 8000 and VITA Lion fast charger, at the port of Saint-Tropez, France (CNW/BCI Marine Group)
Ontario and Quebec will be the first provinces in Canada to receive new Aqua superPower DC fast chargers. The news comes following a new partnership between the marine fast-charging network operator and Canadian boat distributor BCI Marine.
BCI Marine announced that Aqua superPower will install rapid chargers at “selected BCI partner locations,” with details of the locations to be announced early this year. The first charger will be installed by May.
Each Aqua superPower fast charger will provide dual simultaneous DC charging up to 150kW and will be accessible to marina users via the secure Aqua app or RFID card, according to BCI.
“We know that for the electric boat market to truly take off in Canada, it is essential that an easily accessible ‘super-charging’ network be in place to serve these boats,” says Patrick Hardy, president of BCI Marine. “We are proud to partner with Aqua superPower to begin creating and accelerating the creation of a greener and more sustainable boating experience with marinas and specific destination points in Ontario and Quebec, many of which have already been identified.”
BCI Marine introduced the X-Shore EELEX 8000 electric boat to the Canadian market in 2021, and the company says it will launch new electric brands soon. “Other electric boat builders will also be coming to market, so strategically BCI Marine took the initiative to introduce a supplier of ‘marine’ fast DC charging points, and Aqua superPower in particular was next,” says Hardy. “It’s a fair, responsible and logical step for Canadian consumers and marine dealers.”
Alex Bamberg, CEO of Aqua superPower comments: “When you ask a consumer to make a significant investment in an electric boat, you want to assure them that they can have the charging that suits their lifestyle. The requirement for a common network of reliable and fast marine chargers to create charging hubs and corridors for electric boat users is absolutely crucial if we are to secure the fuel transition. Our partnership with Aqua superPower and their partners will help accelerate marine electrification in Canada.”
Aqua superPower has been rolling out its network of marine fast chargers, with recent installations along the Côte d’Azur and the Italian Riviera, another in Venice, and in the UK.
In November, MDL Marinas partnered with Aqua superPower to install electric boat chargers at five of its marinas, becoming the first UK marina group to offer an electric boat charging solution.
