Battery Supplier Selected For Four Canadian Hybrid Ferries
A marine battery manufacturer has been selected to supply energy storage systems for four new hybrid-electric double-ended passenger and vehicle ferries being built for a Canadian west coast operator. The award covers 40 megawatt hours of installed capacity across the series, at ten megawatt hours per vessel, placing the ships among the highest capacity battery-powered ferries in service anywhere.
The design goes further than the initial installation. Alongside the delivered batteries, the supplier will provide battery interface bases and pack control systems sized for a substantially larger future installation of up to 70 megawatt hours per vessel, allowing capacity to be added as shore charging infrastructure becomes available. At full build-out each ship would be able to operate almost emission-free for up to two hours, and the pre-fitted interfaces mean the upgrade would not require major structural modification later in the vessels' lives.
The battery system uses liquid-cooled power cells with improved energy density and a revised safety architecture, and will be integrated into the wider power and propulsion package. The operator said its selection was based on the supplier's record in large-scale marine battery installations, its operational presence in the province and its performance on an existing class of smaller vessels already in the fleet, which together offer confidence in lifecycle support from commissioning through decades of service.
The four ships form part of a major vessel renewal programme, the operator's largest capital investment to date, intended to replace ageing tonnage, increase capacity and reduce emissions. The operator runs one of the world's largest ferry systems, serving 25 routes and 47 terminals and carrying approximately 9.7 million vehicles and 22.7 million passengers a year. Each new double-ended vessel will accommodate up to 360 vehicles and 2,100 passengers and crew.
Designed in collaboration with a Norwegian naval architecture firm, the vessels will use diesel-battery hybrid propulsion with compatibility for biofuel or renewable diesel, and an architecture intended to allow a straightforward transition to near-zero-emission all-electric operation once shore charging is installed. The first ship is scheduled for delivery in 2029 from a Chinese shipyard, with all four expected to be in service by 2031. The operator's fleet renewal head said the programme addresses an ageing fleet affecting its busiest routes, adding capacity and improving reliability for the communities that depend on the service.
