The world’s largest all-electric ferry has completed its first commercial voyage between the ports of Søby and Fynshav in southern Denmark.
This revolutionary ship, e-ferry Ellen, capable of carrying approximately 30 vehicles and 200 passengers, is powered by a battery system with an unprecedented capacity of 4.3MWh provided by Leclanché SA one of the world’s leading energy storage companies. The motor system was supplied by Danfoss Editron.
Participating in this event celebrating the first scheduled ferry service between the two Danish islands were the respective mayors of the two municipalities, Ole Wej Petersen of Aerø and Erik Lauritzen of Søndeborg. E-ferry Ellen is expected to be fully operational within a few weeks. E-ferry is part of the Danish Natura project, which aims to provide environmentally friendly transport for local residents. This project was initiated in 2015 and was funded by the European Union through the Horizon 2020 and Innovation Program.
Anil Srivastava, CEO of Leclanché, said : “We are very proud to provide a specifically designed unique lithium-ion battery system to this ferry, the precursor to a new era in the commercial marine sector. With its 4.3MWh capacity, the e-ferry represents a new milestone in commercial marine propulsion. Over one year, it will prevent the release of 2,000 tons of CO2, 42 tonnes of NOX, 2.5 tons of particulates and 1.4 tons of SO2 into the atmosphere. This project demonstrates that today we can replace fossil fuel thermal drives with clean energy, and thus contribute to the fight against global warming and pollution for the well-being of our communities.”
The battery system supplied by Leclanché uses high-energy G-NMC lithium-ion cells with unique safety features, including a bi-cellular laminated design and ceramic separators. Leclanché specifically designs and engineers a Class Type Approved and Certified Marine Rack Systems (MRS) including fire prevention and extinguishing systems. The project has received the DNV-GL Type Approval Certificate and the DNV-GL Product Certificate. The Swiss company develops and manufactures its own graphite/NMC (nickel-manganese cobalt lithium oxide) and LTO (titanate lithium oxide) cells. The parallel and redundant battery and powertrain systems make the e-ferry a safe and reliable vessel.
