NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR 2ND INTERNATIONAL ELECTRIC BOAT AWARDS
First year’s awards featured 50 boats from 19 countries
Nominations are now being accepted for The Gustave Trouvé Awards for Excellence in Electric Boats and Boating, the international electric boat awards started last year by electric boat website Plugboats.com
Nominations are being accepted in four categories:
Electric Boats Under 8 metres/26 feet
Electric Boats Over 8m/26 ft
Electric Boats Designed for Paying Passengers
Customised / DIY Electric Boats
Members of the public as well as manufacturers and others in the marine industry are welcome to nominate any electric boat and can find the qualifying criteria and nomination form on the websites of The Gussies (http://thegussies.com/) and of Plugboats (https://plugboats.com/nominate-electric-boat-gussies-2021/).
The awards were created to recognize the inventors, designers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and visionaries who are making advances every day to develop clean, quiet, zero emission technologies and designs to reduce reliance on fossil fuel for marine propulsion.
They are named to honour Gustave Trouvé, a prolific French inventor with over 75 patents to his name who was awarded the Légion d’Honneur in 1882. Among his innovations was the world’s first outboard boat motor, which he devised so that he could detach the motor from his prototype electric boat ‘Le Teléphone’ and take it home to work on in his Paris apartment.
While M. Trouvé’s invention predates the 1887 patent of the internal combustion engine, and electric boats have been available since the first years of the 20th century, it is not until recently that they have begun to enter the mainstream. Analysis from Research and Markets in February of 2020* estimates that the global market was worth US$ 4.49 Bn in 2018, and is expected to grow to US$ 12.32 Bn by 2027.
‘The Gussies’, as the awards are known in the electric boat world, are the only international boating awards that focus exclusively on electric boats and boating. The 2020 awards had 50 boats nominated from 19 countries with the winning boats hailing from France, Singapore and India.
Winners are selected through a combination of online public voting and weighted voting by a panel of industry experts from: the Electric Boat Associations of the UK, USA, Greece, Canada and Switzerland; the Alternate Fuels Committee of Inland Waterways International; and the Venice 2028 organisation and e-Regatta. Online voting is hosted on the plugboats.com site.
“The first year of The Gussies saw over 10,000 votes from electric boat enthusiasts all over the world” said Jeff Butler, Editor/Publisher of Plugboats and Founder of the awards “and with interest in electric propulsion growing literally by the day, I expect many many more this year.”
The opening of nominations, May 26, is the 140th anniversary of Gustave Trouvé’s first trip down the Seine River in his electric boat in 1881. Nominations for The Gussies close on June 15 and voting will begin the next day – June 16 – to select which 6 boats in each of the 4 categories will move on to the finals. Finals voting will begin July 6 to decide the winners, announced on the 118th anniversary of Trouve’s death in 1902: July 27.
About Plugboats – Plugboats.com was launched in February of 2019 to chronicle and promote advances in electric boats and provide information for consumers looking to switch to (or adopt) electric marine propulsion. The site include news about electric boats of all kinds,, Buying Guides, Supplier Directories, a Marketplace of Electric Boats and Motors For Sale and has experienced rapid growth, reaching 1 million views shortly after its second anniversary in March of 2021.
About The Electric Boat Association (UK) – The EBA was established in London, England, in 1982, and is the largest organization in the world dedicated to electric boats and boating. The EBA champions the interests of electric boat owners. We’re here to help with issues such as waterway access, charging points, slipway facilities, reduced licence fees and the Boat Safety Scheme. Members also enjoy meeting up and talking kilo watts.https://electricboatassociation.org/
About The Electric Boat Association of America – The Electric Boat Association of America was formed in 1992 to gather those dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of clean and quiet electric boating. Goals include being an educational arm and information source for electric powered boating issues, representing electric boaters in matters of environmental protections and regulations and providing a forum for sharing experience and advice on electric boat related projects. https://www.electricboats.org/
About Swiss Association for Zero Emission Boats – The objectives of the Association, among others, are to promote the design, construction and use of zero emission boats. They encourage individuals to shift to sustainable boating and professional to equip their marinas with electric and / or hydrogen infrastructures. The association works also with the public authorities to increase the shift to zero emission boats. Once a year, the association organize a Swiss Tour (https://zeroemissionboat.ch/swisstour/) to showcase developments in the field of zero emission boats. The public and guests can discover the latest innovations in electric and hydrogen boats, test them and enjoy the pleasure of sailing without any noise or pollutant emission.
https://zeroemissionboat.ch/
About The Electric Boat Organization of Greece – EBA GreeceThe Electric Boat Organization of Greece – EBA Greece was founded in Greece in 2016 to promote the development of electric boats and to serve the needs of all those who have an interest in the field of electric boats and ships, such as boat owners or members and business owners dealing with the specific construction sector.
https://www.eba.gr/
About The Electric Boat Association of Canada -The Electric Boat Association of Canada was formed in 2018 by a group of boating enthusiasts who are concerned about the use of fossil fuels for transportation and are excited about the possibilities of boats and ships powered by electricity. It advocates for policies, incentives and programs that will encourage use of electric propulsion in the country with the world’s longest coastline. http://electricboatassociation.ca/
About The Alternate Fuels Committee of IWI – IWI’s Alternative Fuel s Committee is working to promote methods to accelerate the transition of personal and commercial water craft used on inland waterways towards clean and sustainable propulsion systems. Its audience is the boating public as well as commercial interests, corporations, and legislative agencies. Its goal is to provide information on the latest technologies and best practices to these audiences so that they can make the best informed decisions about how to reduce carbon emissions from marine propulsion.
https://inlandwaterwaysinternational.org/alternative-fuels/
About Venice Agenda 2028 / e-Regatta – The Venice Agenda 2028 is an N.G.O. working with Venetians to transform the city’s motorised waterborne traffic, particularly its public transport, from diesel/petrol engines to zero emission electric propulsion. The goal is to ensure that by the year 2028, all motor boats including water-buses, taxis, work and private boats are all zero-emission, low wash electric boats. The Venice e-Regatta of electric boats will take place May 29 to June 6 at the Salone Nautica Venezia (Venice Boat Show).
https://www.veniceagenda2028.com/
About Gustave Trouvé
Mr. Kevin Desmond is the Author of ‘ Gustave Trouve: French Electrical Genius’ and is recognized as the leading authority on the life and achievements of the French inventor. Mr. Desmond can be reached at desmond.book@wanadoo.fr
Was there a boat race in ancient times?