Electric outboard maker ePropulsion appoints new distributors in Asia
Marine electric propulsion systems and services company ePropulsion is expanding across Asia with the appointment of two new distributors.
South Korean company Badaro Yacht Co, based in the province of Gyeonggi-do; and Motorium, based on the island of Phuket in Thailand, will now act as distributors for ePropulsion’s electric propulsion outboards.
Joseph You, director at Badaro says: “We are delighted to have been appointed as one of ePropulsion’s new distributors. In Korea, electric motors were mainly used for freshwater fishing but there has been a shift to coastal sea fishing in recent years with more customers looking for electric motors that offer a more sustainable alternative to traditional petrol outboard motors.”
Hong Kong-based ePropulsion sold over 12,000 units and achieved an annual sales growth of 150 per cent in 2021, which is still growing at a pace with sales expected to double again this year.
The company, which was founded and incubated at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2012, has grown rapidly from when it launched its first product in 2014, expanding its distribution network from just three countries in 2015, to over 60 countries and areas to date.
Bernard Wong, sales director at Motorium says: “We are excited to be part of the global movement towards more economical and sustainable products within the marine industry. General boat owners and users in Thailand are becoming more aware about the benefits of using electric motors versus combustion engines, and there is growing demand for electric motors from private users and within government projects.
Danny Tao, co-founder and CEO of ePropulsion, says: “We are delighted to be expanding our distributor network across Asia during a very exciting time for ePropulsion and the marine leisure industry as a whole, with interest and uptake in electric outboard motors increasing globally. We can only see this trend continuing, and we expect to see more and more boat owners converting to electric outboards.”
In November, ePropulsion announced that it has secured hundreds of millions of RMB in B+ series funding, equating to ‘tens of millions of US dollars’.
Compared to petrol outboards, electric propulsion outboards are typically quieter and lower maintenance as they do not require a starter cord, fuel tap or choke. Thanks to developments in technology in recent years, they are now capable of similar speeds and ranges to their petrol counterparts, without the associated emissions.
