Emissions-free canal push boat with hybrid propulsion
The Elektra, which is currently under construction at the Hermann Barthel shipyard in Derben, Germany, will be the first emission-free push boat worldwide (Source: TU Berlin, Department of Design and Operation of Maritime Systems)
The world’s first emissions-free canal push boat, Elektra, is to have a hybrid propulsion system including a fuel cell, batteries, an electric motor and Rudderpropellers supplied by German propulsion specialist, Schottel.
The push boat has been ordered by Berlin harbour’s warehousing and logistics firm, Behala, at the German shipyard, Hermann Barthel, in Derben. Its design was developed at the Department of Design and Operation of Maritime Systems at the Technical University of Berlin.
The 20m-long Elektra will have two type SRP 100 units with nozzles and an output of 200 kW each, as well as a Schottel steering and control system. The vessel will have a service speed of about 10km/hour and a maximum thrust load of 1,400 tonnes.
It is envisaged that the vessel will be completely emissions-free from the first day of testing in Berlin in 2020. Hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell will be generated by electrolysis using green electricity derived from wind power.
