Visedo to supply system for 50 m all-electric ferry

JUNE 9, 2015 — Finnish electric drive train specialist Visedo has been selected as the sole electric-system supplier for a fully electric ferry to be built by the Danish shipbuilder Søby Shipyard Ltd.

The 50 m ferry will be able to carry up to 25 cars and 147 passengers, making it the world’s largest all-electric vessel of its type.

t will enter service in June, 2017 carrying vehicles and passengers between the island Ærø and the mainland of Denmark and is being supported with EU funding. It is part of Denmark’s Natura project that provides rural populations with green transportation.

The ferry will be a state-of-the-art design and will achieve efficiency gains by optimizing weight by integrating lighter materials and equipment. It will reduce CO2 emissions by 2,000 tons and NOx emissions by 41,500 kg per year.

Visedo says that its silent electric propulsion system will reduce the emitted noise level compared to diesel engine operation. In addition, the vessel is designed to operate with a wake reduced by 60-70% compared with a conventional ferry.

“This new contract, along with several recently won marine projects like the Damen Eco-Liner project in the Netherlands, gives further validation of Visedo’s strong execution of its business plan,” said Visedo CEO Dr. Kimmo Rauma. “Thanks to our technology allowing the most efficient and compact systems available, Visedo is winning ground-breaking projects in the marine market. The orders secured in 2015 mark a significant break-through for Visedo in terms of deploying its growth plan and strategy.”

Last month Visedo announced a strategic cooperation agreement with Swiss battery manufacturer Leclanché, which will supply the ferry’s 4.2 MWh total battery system along with the battery management system developed by Visedo.

“This project is a breakthrough in the recently introduced mobile storage business,” said Martti Ukkonen, EVP of Mobile Storage Systems at Leclanché. “The novel combination of a lithium-ion battery and an electric drive train provided by Leclanché and Visedo has proven to be a true asset in mobile systems, not only in marine, and we’re very satisfied with the alliance with Visedo.”

Visedo says the the market for marine electric vessels is expected to grow from $2.6 billion to $6.3 billion by 2023, propelled by both emission regulations and a large potential for fuel savings.