Over the past 3 months, I've had the extraordinary opportunity to interview 12 CEOs at the helm of companies pioneering marine electric propulsion. These industry leaders, each with their unique approach, are united by one shared passion: to revolutionize boating and safeguard our oceans.
From quiet, emission-free recreational motors, boats and yachts to clean, energy-efficient and powerful, commercial vessels , these companies are pushing the boundaries of marine technology. Their innovative solutions promise to transform the boating experience, making it more sustainable and enjoyable for generations to come.
As I delve deeper into these inspiring conversations, I'm filled with a sense of optimism - call it ‘Intelligent Optimism’. I only recently saw this term on the internet. And, upon a quick search, discovered an organization dedicated to IO. On their website, intelligentoptimism.com, it is defined as:
…all about being thrilled, excited, and optimistic about the future in an informed and rational way based on statistics, data, evidence, facts, science, and empirical evidence. There are remarkable people out there achieving remarkable things. Intelligent Optimism requires us to pay more attention to the well-deserved good news. It’s about understanding that the future is what we make of it and through science, technology, reason, and rationality, we have the potential to make extraordinary things happen.”
(source: https://www.intelligentoptimism.com/about)
Each Marine EV Leader we've spoken with embodies Intelligent Optimism. They assembled brilliant teams, pioneered innovative manufacturing processes, built new supply chains, and driven innovation grounded in data, evidence, and scientific fact. Truly, they're achieving remarkable feats in the development of Marine EV solutions.
We could simply restate a Marine EV version of Intelligent Optimism as:
being thrilled, excited and optimistic about the future of marine propulsion in an informed and rational way…” and that “…understanding the future of boating is what these leaders make of it. Through their science, technology, reason and rationality, Marine EV Leaders, have the potential to make extraordinary things happen to transform the marine propulsion industry
It's clear that the future of marine propulsion is electric, and these pioneers are leading the charge. They each believe it's not a question of IF but WHEN.
We can find ourselves excessively consuming negative news about the deteriorating state of our oceans and find skepticism surrounding the transition to electric marine propulsion. This tendency, is known as "doom scrolling," and can involve spending an inordinate amount of time reading or watching distressing content, particularly on the internet. Wiki defines doom scrolling as
the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading large quantities of news, particularly negative news, on the web and social media. This is both dangerous to our mental health, contributing to heightened anxiety, stress, fear and isolation AND offers little to help find solutions.
When we constantly focus on the negative aspects of a problem, without addressing solutions, it can lead to a sense of despair. I've certainly experienced this myself. As a boater for over 50 years, I've developed a deep love for the ocean. Like many of us, I've witnessed firsthand the increasing pollution, misuse, and harmful impact on marine life. Therefore, I'm thrilled to learn about a dedicated group of visionary leaders who are taking collective action to address one of the major contributors to ocean pollution: fossil fuel propulsion.
This positive shift is also influencing the next generation. When young children see leaders actively working towards solutions, it has a profound impact on their outlook, fostering a more optimistic perspective. Consider this personal story shared by Emil Finne, CEO of Elvene Boats, during his recent visit to Vancouver:
…my daughter often joins me when I’m out testing our boats, so we spend time together on the water. She’s been doing so for the last couple of years, and she’s 5 now, so her boat experience [is entirely on] electric [powered] boats.
One day when we met another boat in a quite narrow passage, she got a bit annoyed and said “here comes one of those loud and smelly boats again”. She divides all boats into two categories; loud and smelly boats or her Dads boats.
I sincerely hope that as you listen to these Marine EV Leaders share their inspiring stories and innovative solutions, you'll also embrace a sense of Intelligent Optimism about the future of marine propulsion.
Join me as we delve deeper into the promising world of electric boating through our Marine EV Leadership Series on The Green Boater TV.
Stay tuned for our upcoming episode featuring an in-depth interview with René Hansen, CEO of X Shore!
~Bruno Hoffman
The Green Boater
Participants in The Marine EV Leadership Series (to date)
Leif Stavøstrandt, Co-Founder & CEO Evoy AS, Norway
Nicolas Quendez, Co-Founder & CEO, Kahe Nautic, France
Dan Hook, Co-Founder & CEO, RAD Propulsion, UK
René Hansen, CEO, X Shore, Sweden
Thorsten Irgang, KAEBON GmbH, Germany
Emil Finne, CEO & Founder, Elvene Boats, Finland
Anthony Liu, CEO, Acel Power, Canada
Alex Dong, CEO, ExploMar, China
Adrian Patzak, Co-Founder & COO Melabo GmbH, Germany
Alex Bamberg, Director, Osprey Charging Network, UK
Peter Brechter, CEO Remigo North America, USA
Frank Heidinger, CEO, Halevai, USA