Business North May 2021

10 | ZeroJet Kiwi start-up set to take on the world T Karen Phelps REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT K iwi start-up ZeroJet aims to become the “Tesla of boats”, says company CEO and co-founder Bex Rempel. The company has spent the past 12 months developing its electric jet propulsion system for Rigid Inflatables Boats (RIBs) and tenders, which has just been released to the open market and is a first for the marine industry, says Bex. The company has teamed up with boat company Offshore Cruising Tenders to pro- duce the world’s lightest electric jet tender but rather than being involved in boat production the main aim is to specialise in supplying the electric jet system to boat builder partners around the world who will utilise it in their designs. ZeroJet is currently working through ex- pressions of interest from a variety of boat builders. The Auckland-based company was founded in 2015 by Bex and Neil Mans. Cutting their teeth on developing high-per- formance electric jetboards called Voltaic Jetboards, it was this expertise that allowed the company to pivot so easily to electric jet propulsion systems. Funding from Callaghan Innovation allowed the fast tracking of the research and develop- ment goals. “We’re very grateful for their support. Without them we wouldn’t have been able to do this so quickly. It’s really important for innovation in New Zealand for this kind of in- vestment to be made in start-up companies,” says Bex. Environmentalism is at the heart of the venture. Bex says that outboards create more pollution than cars due to a technology gap between the marine and automotive indus- tries. As an example running a new 5 HP four- stroke outboard for one hour produces the same amount of nitrogen oxide and hydrocar- bon pollution as driving 38 new cars at 95kmh for the same length of time, she says. The ZeroJet motor is about the size of half a loaf of bread ensuring boats that use the tech- nology are lighter and faster. It also means there is more space inside the boat and with no prop people can manoeuvre across shal- low reef ecosystems and beaches easily. ZeroJet powered tenders and RIBs are powered by a safe low voltage battery which can be easily be recharged from the electrical system of the mothership boat. The result is 50% more propulsion than a conventional out- board motor of the same power level meaning tenders can plane at as little as 8 knots. All products are designed and manufac- tured in-house at the company’s East Tamaki factory. ZeroJet has big plans and aims to scale up globally this year replacing 10,000 outboards with the electric jet propulsion system in the next five years – the equivalent of removing 1.5m cars from the road. There are also plans to scale the system up for larger 5m and 6m tenders due to clients already requesting this. “It’s all about working towards our ultimate audacious goal of eliminating the need for combustion engines on small watercraft. Ultimately we want to make a big impact and a real difference in the marine industry.” ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS SINCE 1917 Henley Group is a collection of companies and products that merges over 100 years of engineering experience in the Marine, Industrial and Energy sectors. Pacific Driveline provides strong technical support, innovation & quality by combining with our partners that are known as world leaders in their respective fields. We design and supply turnkey nanobubble systems from small to industrial scale applications in Australia and New Zealand utilizing Moleaer™ Nanobubble Generators. Developed for the food processing and production industry, PacFlange is designed to replace the conventional greased roller bearing thereby eliminating grease completely and providing a zero maintenance solution. HENLEYGROUP.CO.NZ 09 443 5886 The stainless steel Kiwi Shaft Seal™ offers protection for your vessel, keeping crew safe and dry. The Kiwi Shaft Seal™ is a New Zealand made product. It has taken 30+ years of marine industry experience to develop and refine this breakthrough alternative to stuffing box and mechanical type marine shaft seals.