Article by ONBOARD Magazine FULLY CHARGED Alex Bamberg looks at the AQUA superPower mission and its continued expansion in supplying the first fully marinised dockside network of fast chargers for electric boats Access to charging infrastructure that offers a reliable plug and charge experience, and charge point visibility, is essential for boat builders and their customers if they are to develop the confidence to transition away from liquid carbon fuels. The AQUA team has a long and successful history in deploying electric vehicle charging infrastructure and is now bringing this knowledge to the marine sector. Clean marine mobility works best when recreational and commercial boat users can take advantage of conveniently located charging stations throughout their local area. These e-boat corridors are central to the AQUA vision, with the company supporting its hosts in developing this critical regional infrastructure. The first superchargers were installed in Monaco, which has always been an incubator for green technology. Since then, the AQUA superPower network has expanded along the Côte d’Azur, the Italian Riviera, Venice, Spain, Canada, the US, and the UK’s first charging network for electric maritime vessels in Plymouth, funded by the Department for Transport with Innovate UK as delivery partner. Within the business model, a marina sets aside an area away from its conventional gas refueling and AQUA superPower complete the installation. AQUA superPower bears the cost of the grid connection, the hardware, the various apps and back-office systems. This incentivises forward thinking marina owners and port operators, placing them well ahead of the expected surge in high- power electric boating. The fully sealed IP-65 rated design of AQUA’s DC fast chargers and simplicity of the user interface provide the robustness and ease of use needed in the marine and freshwater environment. Chargers on the AQUA network provide reliable and ultrafast 22kW AC – 150kW DC charging for both leisure and commercial boats. The chargers use the CCS (Combined Charging System) multi-pin plug, meaning no electricity flows until the plug is physically connected to the boat and the ‘electronic handshake’ has been completed satisfactorily. AQUA superPower’s chargers are smart networked and permanently connected to the AQUA superPower backend to ensure a robust user experience. The company is developing its network to be accessible to electric boat users via the AQUA superPower secure app or RFID card. The app enables users to view a map showing charger locations and offering navigational aids to guide them to their chosen destination. By working with all the leading electric boat builders to encourage conformity of charging standards, AQUA superPower is developing a fully integrated charging ecosystem that is compatible with most leisure and commercial electric and hybrid boats. Throughout the network, AQUA chargers allow owners to charge there electric boats in 20min – 90mins. As electric boat use becomes increasingly widespread, the ability of marinas to provide high speed charging will be a distinct competitive advantage when attracting boat owners and AQUA superPower provides just this through their dedicated marine fast charging network. For further details visit www.aqua-superpower.com
