Electric ferry for busy route in Sweden

Danfoss Editron has provided the electric power equipment for Tellus, which will become Sweden’s largest hybrid-electric car ferry when it shortly enters passenger operations. The 100-metre ferry will be capable of transporting up to 297 passengers and 80 cars per journey on the 1.8km Gullmarsleden route linking Uddevalla to Lysekil.
The route is one of Sweden’s biggest and the vessel, the country’s largest hybrid ferry so far, will carry more than 100,000 vehicles per month.
Danfoss Editron supplied the electric power plant and propulsion system for the Baltic Workboats-built vessel. Its lightweight electric power plant is connected to 12 Corvus Energy battery racks with a total capacity of 949 kWh.
The Editron system manages the power plant to ensure that fuel consumption is optimised at all times, even when the vessel is operating in hybrid mode when it will run with a single genset, backed up by battery power. A temporary battery charging set-up from an onshore facility and/or charging from diesel engines during operation will be replaced with automatic charging stations in harbours when the infrastructure is ready.
Danfoss Editron project manager, Jani Hartikka, said: “Similar ferries are already in operation in Finland and Norway, so we are thrilled to see Sweden joining the movement. The electrification of the marine industy is a trend which will continue to grow as more countries introduce legislation related to reducing emissions in the sector. The versatility of our Editron system means that we can provide fully-electric and hybrid solutions for any kind of ferry. The future of the marine sector is definitely emission-free.”