Swedish marine electrification specialist Echandia has won its largest order to date, for the delivery of battery systems and electric conversion of two RoPax (roll-on/roll-off passenger) ferries for a Northern European ferry operator.
The order serves as Echandia’s largest to date, both in terms of system size and value, and will see delivery of the battery systems in the second half of 2025.
The electrification will convert the ferries to run purely on battery power and have been designed to meet the customer’s requirement for a 10-year lifespan.
According to Echandia, its battery systems were chosen because of “their long lifespan, high safety, and the fact that they require roughly half the installation space compared to other systems.”
“We are seeing a clear trend towards more and larger orders for converting ferries from fossil fuel to electric propulsion,” said Fredrik Hellström, CEO of Echandia.
Echandia has already made headlines with a number of marine electrification projects, including collaborations with Dutch shipbuilding giant Damen Shipyards to build the world’s first electric ferry fleet in 2018 and the world’s first full-size and fully electric tugboat in 2020.
The two companies have also announced plans to create six hybrid and three all-electric passenger transport ferries for the route between Rotterdam and the Drecht cities for Dutch water transport client Aqualiner-Swets.
Similarly, Echandia partnered with German technology giant Siemens in 2020 to create electric propulsion systems for 23 electric ferries, to be built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, to serve the South Indian city of Kochi and its 10 islands.
Most recently, Echandia received an order in early May from Swedish ferry company Öresundslinjen to convert its M/S Hamlet to purely electric operation.
Operating on the Helsingør – Helsingborg route, M/S Hamlet traverses the Öresund strait up to 8000 times annually and, with its conversion to battery power, will not need a replacement for at least 10 years, while nevertheless being able to charge at both ports in as little as 11 minutes on average.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
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