Published on: 22 September 2022
17 year old to circumnavigate Britain in an electric RIB, supported by ROLEC Services Ltd.
The Round Britain eRIB challenge aims to support the marine industry’s transition to electric propulsion. To do this a 17 year old skipper will attempt to drive an electric boat around Britain. In support of the Challenge, ROLEC Services Ltd. are pleased to offer a Direct Sales service to the Round Britain eRIB ‘STOP Locations’, thereby supporting the development of necessary shoreside infrastructure .
The Round Britain eRIB Challenge is scheduled for Summer 2023 and is backed by several key industry bodies including: RYA, British Marine, British Ports Association, The Yacht Harbour Association, UK Harbour Masters Association, and The Green Blue.
This environmental challenge originated from the lack of an alternative to fossil fuel propulsion in the small leisure powerboat market. The electric RIB being built for the Challenge will be used to showcase the capabilities of electric propulsion, and as part of the pre-Challenge trials the boat will hopefully be available to Sponsors for a demo/drive experience.
A significant part of the Round Britain eRIB project is to encourage the installation of charging infrastructure so that the Challenge boat can charge. This will contribute to the development of more widespread eBoat charging infrastructure which will support local sailing clubs, marinas, harbour authorities, port operators and private owners in the transition of their vessels to electric, zero emission propulsion. Encouraging these installations also builds momentum in the direction of the UK Government target which states in the Clean Maritime Plan that by 2025 all new vessels being ordered for use in UK waters must be designed with zero emission propulsion capability.
All Round Britain eRIB STOP Locations will be offered Direct Sales Support from a senior sales executive at ROLEC Services Ltd. which, for a wide range of large and small harbours, ports and marinas, will help provide a step forward in supporting the creation of a distributed network of eBoat charging provision around Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Should all locations choose to install charging infrastructure, approx. 100 RYA organisations and 60 British Marine member businesses local to these Locations would then be able to access this charging infrastructure and could either purchase and utilise, or develop and commercialise zero emission vessels for use in their local waters.
This project will:
- Support the Clean Maritime Plan target that all new vessels being ordered for use in UK waters are designed with zero emission propulsion capability by 2025
- Enable more local sailing clubs, marinas, harbour authorities, port operators and private owners to access eBoat charging facilities
- Showcase the potential of eBoats in UK Coastal waters
- Set a baseline for eBoating capabilities in 2023 and set a target for future Challenges
“I believe that we cause too much damage to the world, and I want to change that. I wanted to do something that people will remember, something that could have an impact. If we are successful, then this project could change the future for the leisure marine industry forever”, commented Harry Besley, Round Britain eRIB Skipper and Marketing Manager.
“After 30 years of servicing marinas and boatyards, and over a decade helping to build the UKs electric vehicle charging infrastructure, it feels nothing more than natural to now turn our attention to assisting the emerging electric boat market. We gladly offer our insight, experience and product knowledge to any marina, boatyard or water-front location looking at zero emission travel, and we are proud to be involved in the exciting Round Britain eRIB challenge”, commented Steve King, ROLEC Services Key Accounts – Senior Engineer.
