A fully electric passenger ferry capable of carrying 200 passengers and 30 vehicles has set what is expected to be a Guinness World Record for sailing 92km (50 nautical miles) on a single battery charge.
The 996-gt Ellen (built 2019) which normally operates on a 40-km route between the southern Danish islands of Aero and Als, set the record during this month’s International Energy Agency conference in Denmark on energy efficiency.
Henrik Hagbarth Mikkelsen, senior lecturer at the Marstal Naval Academy in Denmark, who worked on the technical design of the ferry, said: “The 92km trip on a single battery charge is the longest planned distance for an electric ferry able to carry both passengers and vehicles to date anywhere on the globe.”
The ferry, which has electric Editron drivetrains and propulsion motors supplied by Danfoss, operates at a 24% lower cost than a new diesel ferry, according to the Danish engineering company.
Danfoss Editron plans to submit the record to Guinness World Records.
“Ellen is an excellent example of the future for electric transport,” said Danfoss Editron vice president Kimmo Rauma said. “Electrifying maritime transport is a clear-cut way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
About 4.3bn passengers and 373m vehicles are moved by ferries globally every year.
The ferry, which cost €21m ($22m) to build, was ordered by the islands’ municipal government with European Union Horizon funding covering more than half the cost.
