The Swedish system runs the zero-emissions ferry with batteries and hydrogen

Swedish Green City Ferries intends to deliver The first version of the zero-emissions statement for 2023. The Beluga 24 is a catamaran serving passengers in the Stockholm region. It can take 150 passengers and 30 bikes, and at a cruising speed of 28-30 knots, there are good chances of shortening the travel time.

It is now clear that the fuel cell and battery systems will be supplied by Echandia. The company, which is headquartered in the Pampas Marina in Solna, has so far implemented 45 facilities across Europe as well as India and New Zealand. But then it was only about battery-based solutions.

Green City Ferries will be the first delivery to combine titanium-lithium oxide (LTO) batteries and a fuel cell system using pressurized hydrogen, from tanks on the ferry’s deck. The solution has obvious advantages.

– The battery performs two functions: forming a buffer mass when the fuel cell is condensed, and delivering peak power to the vessel. In our case, we have a world-leading technology in the field of high-power batteries, so we can install a very small battery system and thus get very high dynamics in the combined power system in terms of load dynamics, with the ability to quickly deliver power. We have very fast start/stop times, Magnus Ericsson, CEO of Echandia, tells Ny Teknik.

The boat has a plane

Thanks to the fact that LTO technology typically has twice the discharge capacity (rate C) than NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) chemistry, Echandia can design a battery that’s typically half the size, according to Magnus Ericsson.

The battery cells are supplied by Toshiba in Japan, and the fuel cells come from a secret subcontractor. The company has its first prototype system in the works, which will now be tested, approved and certified with Bureau Veritas.

The design of the boat itself, along with the carrier aircraft that raises the hull to 50 percent, provides low resistance in the water. Additionally, the driveline has been optimized for efficiency, to reduce energy costs.

For example, if you are based on a five-year period and consume 4-500 kg of hydrogen per day, your investment will cost marginal to the cost calculation compared to your energy cost, says Magnus Eriksson.

He says Echandia is developing alternatives with ammonia as a hydrogen carrier, but it’s a long-term task. In the next few years, the company will use pressurized hydrogen, but for larger ships, cryogenic tanks with liquid hydrogen are needed or in the long run, other fuels are needed — and the CEO believes ammonia will be strategically important.