VIDEO: Carbon fiber hulled all-electric ferry is a record breaker

Rygerelektra reached over 23 knots of speed on trials

A carbon fiber composites-hulled all-electric ferry delivered by Norway’s Brødrene Aa Shipyard marks another major advance in low-emission passenger vessel technology.

The 297-passenger Rygerelektra measures 42 meters in length and is capable of 23 knots – claimed as a world record for the fastest all-electric passenger catamaran.

At full passenger capacity, she will have an operational range of 40 nautical miles at a speed of 18 knots. At this speed, she will use 70% of her battery capacity between charges and if the speed is reduced to 17 knots the range increases to 50 nautical miles.

Rygerelektra was delivered to longtime customer Rødne Fjord Cruise as a sightseeing vessel based out of Stavanger, Norway.

This is the 20th composite vessel Rødne Fjord Cruise has purchased from Brødrene Aa over the last 50 years and will be the company’s new flagship vessel.

“With Rygerelektra we emphasize Rødne’s commitment to the environment and commitment to green tourism,” says Lars A. Rødne, CEO of Rødne Fjord Cruise. “For us, it is important to take care of the environment so that future generations can also experience our beautiful, unspoiled nature from the fjord”

Rygerelektra marks the culmination of years of work and knowledge in ferry design. In 2018, the award-winning ferry Future of the Fjords was delivered as an all-electric sightseeing vessel capable of traveling 20 nautical miles at 16 knots before charging. Since this time, battery and propulsion technology, along with hull design, has improved and the range capability of Rygerelektra is a dramatic increase on what was possible two years ago.

Rygerelektra’s remarkable performance characteristics are possible due to the carbon fiber construction that is the hallmark of a Brødrene Aa vessel. The Rygerelektra is approximately 40% lighter than the same sized vessel built with aluminum. Brødrene Aa has been building passenger ferries using carbon fiber technology since the early 2000’s and has been a market leader in composites since the 1970’s.

Rygerelektra is powered by two Ramme 375 kW engines that drive the Servogear Ecoflow Propulsion system. This is a highly efficient system which was implemented by Westcon Power and Automation.

Built in accordance with the High-Speed Code, she reached over 23 knots of
speed during testing but will operate at a maximum speed of 19.9 knots due to her lounge style seating configuration as a sightseeing vessel.