A high intensity METS Trade!
After a cancelled 2020 edition and a reduced 2021 edition, needless to say, the METS Trade show was highly anticipated by the global marine industry. The pleasure boat equipment event did not disappoint those who made the trip to Amsterdam. With a large audience in the aisles and exhibitors from all over the world, the ingredients for success were there.
But the intensity was also electric. Electric motors and the entire ecosystem of alternative motorizations were very present. The offer, which has been growing for many years, is enriched by numerous companies, with technical solutions that are sometimes complex, but also more accomplished. From the electric inboard motor with an architecture deliberately inspired by combustion engines, such as Synapseo, to eD-TEC's eD-QDrive integrated systems, including all types of electric motors and subbases, there are all types of approaches.
Beyond that, the necessary management of energy is also on the menu, suppliers of chargers on board or at the quay and other batteries of all kinds were also very present.
Continue to innovate
The future, which is probably quite close, will show which electric motorization players will remain in the long term. We note the absence of Yamaha and Mercury, who are also developing their own electric motors, and whose arrival will also have a role in the future of electric boats. In the meantime, the small structures are still there to clear the way.
While innovation was still present, it was less marked than in other editions. We could see how the challenges of supply and high demand had probably slowed down the R&D efforts of some SMEs. Let's hope that a more normal situation will give inventors some breathing space for the necessary transition of the sector.
