VoltSafe’s Prongless Plug Technology in Beta Testing at Marinas

They say necessity is the mother of invention. That was certainly the case for VoltSafe, a company that uses prongless plug technology to help marinas and their guests use electricity safely and efficiently while providing marina operators with useful usage data.

VoltSafe is a Canadian tech startup headquartered in British Columbia that has created the first ever prongless magnetic plug for high power. They’re currently beta piloting the plug pedestal at various marinas to get marina buy-in and valuable lessons on product use and possible improvements.

Where it Started
The problem that spurred the innovation, according to Voltsafe co-founder and electrical engineer Sanad Aridah, was Voltsafe co-founder Arash Janfada’s chilly commute. Janfada, who lived in Saskatchewan, would regularly “forgetfully drive away with his engine block heater still connected,” Aridah recalls. His efforts to find a solution were fruitless; the closest he could find to help solve the problem were charging cords for computers and iPhones, but they were for low voltage charging. A high voltage charger posed another problem – it could hurt someone if they accidentally touched it. His angst soon turned into innovation.

Tommy Salleh, certified marina manager at Pelican Harbor Marina for Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, said he will try about a dozen VoltSafe electrical pedestals in the pilot program. The marina has 60 pedestals.

“We hope to get a better understanding of usage of power consumption from our patrons,” he said of the rationale for joining the program. “We also hope that by using the Voltsafe Marina control box, we can reduce the likelihood of arcing or sparking at the pedestal and to better monitor any electrical leaks.”

VoltSafe was incorporated in 2015. The certifications and production process for their first product took about four years and was launched in 2019. That same year, the company went on Dragons’ Den, a Canadian television show inspired by the U.S. version, Shark Tank, which showcases entrepreneurial businesses. This was a turning point because there was “a huge influx of people requesting to see our technology used in different areas,” such as agriculture, aerospace, automotive, and others. They began researching them internally to see how a company his size could help, Aridah said.

They sought the “low-hanging fruit,” an industry in which they could launch the next product where they could demonstrate the value of their product, an area where people care about safety.

“They care about the convenience, the ease of use, and where we can make a difference with our smart features as well, and we identified that gap in the marine world,” he recalled, adding the marina industry had been on their radar since 2018.

Company leaders tweaked the product, and talked to some local marinas in Vancouver “and the answers started matching up from one marina manager to the next.” They found that marinas wanted to manage shore power, to better understand electrical consumption at the docks so they could best determine how to charge for it.

Some marinas had used analog meters to gauge usage. But for a 300-slip marina, it was difficult to find someone to physically read the meters. So, some marinas charged a flat rate for electricity, which favored high-use consumers and penalized low-use consumers.

Aridah said it was all about transparency for marina owners and operators and boat owners and he wanted owners and operators to be able to manage electrical usage from the comfort of their own offices.

“When it comes to true slip management, there’s not a fully integrated system for shore power management that way,” he said. VoltSafe wanted to make it very easily accessible through the dashboard to check in and check how customers use power and distinguish between long-term marina tenants versus the transients that would just come in for a day or two, or just for a few hours.

How it Works
VoltSafe uses a magnetic connector to make plugging in at marinas safe, simple, and smart. This technology can be adapted to any power level worldwide and only allows power to flow once both plug and outlet are fully connected.

According to the company, “Our technology utilizes unique electrical fingerprints to allow electricity to flow. This process occurs in a span of micro-seconds, effectively eliminating arcing (seen in pronged plugs).”
“VoltSafe technology is successfully safety certified (in accordance with UL and CSA standards) making it the world’s first high-power prongless (magnetic) connector. VoltSafe is the only prongless technology in the world that delivers lightning-fast charges without power loss (like pronged plugs) and is not to be confused with inductive charging technology.”

At Pelican Harbor, the customers will let Salleh know what they think of the pedestals. When asked how he will decide whether to continue to use them, he said, “I think it all depends on how the patrons feel about the dock connectors-sleeves.

I’m interested in seeing if they feel it will be secure for their vessel. “
He says another big issue is connectivity. He wants to be sure the monitoring functions are trouble-free.

Salleh credits the company for its customer service.

“They have been a great partner, very responsive and helpful. We’re looking forward to providing them with feedback.”