Mothership and battery swapping could repower all-electric CTVs

Zephyrus mothership would serve as a CTV "hotel"

Battery swapping is a key element in a new concept for recharging CTVs developed by Vancouver, B.C.-based Zephyrus Marine. The company has now signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japanese shipbuilder Mirai Ships to build the Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore wind service vessel.

Incorporating Shift Clean Energy’s PwrSwäp battery-swapping technology, the Zephyrus concept will be tailored to specifically service Japanese wind and offshore vessels. A fully electric mothership will operate as a hotel and charging station with fully electric daughter crew transfer vessels that will either be stowed on deck or returned to shore for near-shore operations. These daughter vessels will be lifted off the mothership and launched into the field. When the charge is low, theCTVs will return to the mothership to dock at the stern, allowing for the spent batteries (“e-pods”) to be lifted and replaced with fully charged ones within minutes.

“We need to make it easy for shipowners and the offshore wind sector to go zero carbon,” said Rob Stewart, director at Zephyrus, “By partnering with Mirai Ships in building our unique solution, we can move the needle towards a net-zero shipping industry and we can do so while improving the operational cost and reducing the risk profiles within the offshore Japanese wind sector.”

Paul Hughes, president and founder of Shift Clean Energy, said: “When it comes to decarbonization, it needs to be a collaborative effort. We are thrilled to partner with Zephyrus and Mirai Ships to power these zero-emission wind service vessels. Utilizing our PwrSwäp technology, we give shipowners the power and freedom to utilize clean, reliable energy without having to purchase the energy storage system. Our energy storage systems provide the energy needed for the trip, saving space, weight and costs. This is an important step towards lowering shipping emissions in Japan and beyond.”

Shift’s PwrSwäp battery-swapping technology is a pay-as-you-go energy subscription service that delivers instant renewable, clean energy to vessels without risk. As a result, says Shift, vessels can utilize only the energy they need without committing to a fixed energy storage system. The technology is rooted in a network of swappable battery e-Pods and containers which are connected through cloud-based service and management centers.