AQUA Electric Marine Fast Charger Comes to Monaco
At the risk of sounding too much like Sophia Petrillo, I’m going to ask you to picture it: Northern Italy, 2022 — you just docked your high-end electric powerboat when the phone rings. It’s Dorothy — she’s in Monte Carlo with Blanche, and they’ve gotten into a bit of hot water, what with Blanche’s comedic promiscuity leading to hijinks with the Prince of Monaco. You need to get fueled up and over to Monaco in a hurry. Alas, your boat is electric. How will you do it?
Now, I don’t know much, but I know that that’s definitely not the scenario that the people at AQUA SuperSport had in mind when they announced that their new network of high-powered marine fast chargers had connected the famous Yacht Club de Monaco with the Marina Cala Del Forte in Italy … but here we are.
In a bid to continue to build its reputation for endorsing sustainable mobility, the Yacht Club de Monaco recently upgraded its dockside charging facilities with a pair of AQUA SuperPower 2nd-generation fast chargers to serve the growing electric boat yacht market. Similar stations were installed at the brand-new marina Cala del Forte in Ventimiglia, which is also owned by Monaco Port’s Société Monégasque Internationale Portuaire (SMIP), in order to “expand the company, push cross border collaboration, and demonstrate its philosophy of sustainable port management and ecological responsibility.”
“Carving out a successful space for a new marina is based on what drives demand,” says explains Marco Cornacchia, Port Director of Cala del Forte — Ventimiglia. “Cala del Forte benefits from its association and connection with Monaco, while also wishing to create a reputation in its own right as the best high-end marina in terms of service, technology, innovation, and sustainability.”
And, sure, there’s a bit of greenwashing going on here, but not as much as you might think. High-end boats like the X Shore and Candela are proving that electrified boating has legs, and it’s only a matter of time before the big boat people see the benefits of BEVs. “Electrification is certain to come to boating in the coming years,” says Cornacchia. “Just as it has come to other forms of transport, and we see working with AQUA SuperPower as future-proofing in terms of market demand and required infrastructure.”
What do you guys think? Is this announcement of marine fast charger installations in two of the richest port cities in Europe a distraction from people who probably own more than one $100 million megayacht, or a genuine indicator that batteries are coming to yachting somewhat sooner than later? Scroll on down to the comments section and let us know.
Source | Images courtesy of AQUA, via EV Obsession.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Latest CleanTechnica.TV Video
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
