Battery powered cable ferry completes 4,000 trips

DECEMBER 10, 2014 — A lithium ion battery powered electric cable ferry has completed 4,000 trips. Built to carry 49 passengers and six cars, the KF Hisarøy operates as part of the county road between Mjånes and Hisarøy in Gulen municipality in Norway and has now been operating for over a year, making ten 1.6 km round trips daily.

The ferry is owned by Wergeland AS and operated by Gulen Skyssbåtservice. It was built by Solund Verft AS, a privately owned shipyard in western Norway just north of Bergen. It is driven by two winches on-board and and an on-board lithium ion battery system that is recharged on the mainland between the round trips and over-night.

The 100 kWh prototype battery at the heart of the system is by Electrovaya of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and uses Electrovaya’s SuperPolymer 2.0 technology, providing excellent performance and reliability with an exceptionally small on-board footprint. Electrovaya supplied the complete rechargeable battery system in cooperation with Solund Verft, HAFS Elektro & Rør AS and Electrovaya’s Norwegian subsidiary Miljobil Grenland AS.

The battery electric ferry is expected to save some 180,750 liters of fuel consumption over its expected lifetime. It has a potential to save about 500 tonnes of emissions; 480 tonnes of CO2, 9 tonnes of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, 2 tonnes of carbon monoxide and 2 tonnes of other type of emissions. The Electrovaya lithium ion battery also eliminates fuel exhaust.

“Wergeland Halsvik AS is very pleased with the ferry and the battery system delivered from the yard and its cooperating partners ” said Hans Wergeland, the owner of KF Hisarøy. “As this market grows, and the demand for environmentally friendly, zero carbon foot-print energy solutions increases, this system is well-suited to further opportunities in the marine sector.”

“We are delighted to be working with Electrovaya , Miljobil Grenland and HAFS Electro.” says Svein-Tore Eide, General Manager of shipbuilder Solund Verft. “This first battery electric cable and road ferry in Scandinavia demonstrates that an all-electric propulsion system has value for other marine applications.”