Maritime & Marine
Lauren McCann and James Bills with the Pulse 63 at Ocean Village Marina.
Published: June 6, 2023 | Updated: 6th June 2023
Lauren McCann and James Bills run a tight ship at the busy Ocean Village Marina in Southampton.
With plenty to do around the site – from transporting cargo and towing yachts to answering berth holder requests – they need a reliable fleet of workboats to get the job done.
And after spending the last six months testing out the Pulse 63 from Romsey’s RS Electric Boats, they may have found an ideal candidate.
The team at Ocean Village Marina first connected with the company at one of their green-tech boat shows, which they’ve hosted for the past three years.
Since then, RS Electric Boats have been hard at work on their latest model, and were keen to put the Pulse through its paces as part of a lease deal with the marina.
Lauren, who manages Ocean Village Marina, said: “The site here is challenging for walking around because of its layout.
“Having the Pulse here means we have been able to access the pontoons easily.
“We’re really fortunate they gave us this opportunity to trial it.”
Assistant Manager James added: “The tow capability is fantastic. We’ve moved yachts and jet ski pods.
“It doesn’t eat the battery under load – we’re quite surprised with how it can compete with conventional workboats.”
The Pulse 63 is the latest in a series of RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats) from RS Electric Boats, known for their spacious designs and manoeuvrability.
Perhaps most importantly, however, it cuts down heavily on the costs and emissions associated with traditional diesel engines.
Normally this would come at the expense of practicality, but the Pulse has defied expectations at the marina.
James said: “We’ve been really surprised how long a full charge lasts.
“We thought we’d be plugging it into the Aqua superPower charger every day. But we’re not.”
In fact, the team have found the Pulse to last a full two weeks ‘pottering about’ the marina, with plenty of torque to back it up.
Jon Partridge, CEO of RS Electric Boats and pictured left, is all too familiar with this kind of scepticism.
He said: “There is a mindset to overcome. We find some boaters are slightly suspicious of new tech.
“We realised quite early on in the Pulse’s development that we were going to have to do the legwork in converting people to electric, offering more than just a quick test drive.
“The primary task has been to create the fantastic electric drive and integral structure of the Pulse, and the secondary one to create awareness of how useful, friendly, reliable and sustainable electric boats are.
“We understand some people’s reluctance to welcome new technology, but the fact is the planet is changing and we have to do everything we can to help protect our environment.
“That’s why we are delighted to work with those ready to embrace the technology and see for themselves what the Pulse 63 is truly capable of.”
While RS Electric Boats have seen plenty of interest here in Hampshire, they’re also looking to branch out overseas.
This April the company announced that it had secured a dealer in Spain – Nauta Systems – and that it would be offering demos across Europe in the Netherlands, Italy and France.
The Pulse 63 is targeted towards the commercial market, with potential use cases in law enforcement, border protection, security, and marinas.
It’s also available as a leisure vessel or superyacht for private owners seeking to reduce their carbon footprint.
