German manufacturer Siemens, together with the Norwegian shipyard Fjellstrand, has developed what the company claims is the world's first electrically powered car ferry. The 80 metre vessel can carry 120 cars and 360 passengers.
From 2015 onward, it will serve the 30-minute route between Lavik and Oppedal, across the Sognefjord in Norway.
The ferry has been specially designed to accommodate the requirements of an electric drive system. As a catamaran with two slim aluminum hulls, it offers less resistance in the water than a conventional vessel. The electric motors are powered by a battery weighing 10 metric tonnes. The new vessel is said to weigh only half as much as a ferry of conventional design.
Whereas the ferry currently serving the route has an engine with an output of 1,500kW, the battery in the new vessel will have an output of 800kW. In normal conditions, operating at a speed of 10 knots, battery power of 400kW will suffice.
"One crucial feature of the new ferry is that it only takes 10 minutes to recharge the batteries," said Siemens in a statement.
"In the two small villages linked by the ferry, however, the local grid is not equipped to deliver such a large amount of power in such a short space of time. To deal with this problem, batteries have been installed at each port. These serve to recharge the ferry's battery during turnaround and are then themselves slowly recharged from the local grid."
Source: Interferry
