Canada’s Ocean Supercluster this week announced the Canadian Electric Propulsion Acceleration Coalition Project, which will expedite the development and commercialization of electric propulsion systems through collaboration among marine industry stakeholders, thus cultivating new jobs in the country’s clean technology sector.
Since its creation in 2018, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster aims to accelerate made-in-Canada ocean solutions across energy, food security, and transportation—while also creating quality jobs and attracting talent.
The Canadian Electric Propulsion Acceleration Coalition will speficially look to establish a Canadian electric boat manufacturing supply chain, addressing challenges such as fleet electrification and hull design optimization.
“The CEPAC Project brings together collaborators from across the ocean sector to advance electric propulsion capabilities, increase Canada’s competitiveness globally, while both contributing to environmental targets, benefits for communities, and economic growth potential under Ambition 2035,” stated Kendra MacDonald, CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster.
Ambition 2035 revolves around dramatically increasing the potential of Canada’s “blue economy” and the career opportunities available therein, as well as up-skilling the workforce for green-tech jobs.
Led by Photon Marine Canada in Victoria, the CEPAC includes boat manufacturers, charging infrastructure providers, an electric outboard motor company, and a deep-water testing facility to ensure scalability.
“The CEPAC initiative will allow us to accelerate the transition to electric propulsion across key maritime sectors while reducing commercialization risk for the consortium members,” said Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon Marine. “Canada’s leadership in maritime decarbonization sets an example for the rest of the world.”
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is contributing $2.7 million toward the $7M project, with the balance of funding coming from project partners.
Project partners include BlueGrid, Rosborough Boats, ABCO Industries, as well as multiple B.C.-based organizations: Malahat Solutions, VoltSafe, and Mostar Labs.
“Insights from customers’ existing conventionally powered vessels will be captured and used to inform everything from infrastructure deployment to hull designs, and then the new electric vessel data will be used to optimize performance to charging,” explains Andrew Boswell, CEO of BlueGrid. “This industry-leading use of data accelerates getting hundreds of electric boats in use.”
“Safe, reliable charging infrastructure is critical,” added VoltSafe CEO Trevor Burgess.
“VoltSafe is excited to be part of CEPAC, bringing our disruptive shore power solution forward as a key contributor in this proactive coalition of outstanding Canadian companies.”
“Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is thrilled to co-invest in this project with the project team which will help increase domestic supply chain and create good jobs,” said MacDonald.
To date, the OSC has approved close to 100 projects which are slated to deliver more than 220 new made-in-Canada ocean products, processes, and services.
“Our government is excited to support Canada’s Ocean Supercluster as it advances initiatives that promote sustainability while bolstering industry competitiveness and economic growth,” stated François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry. “The Canadian Electric Propulsion Acceleration Coalition project . . . will help accelerate the development and commercialization of electric propulsion systems in Canada, reducing emissions and supporting innovation in the sector and creating job opportunities for Canadians.”
The government did not specify how many new jobs this round of investment is anticipated to create.
