Global electrical product and solution and provider ABB has been selected to supply the drive and energy storage technologies that will underpin Iceland’s first electrified ferry. The 70-meter long vessel will be powered by a mind-boggling 3,000kWh battery pack with a diesel generator that will serve only to supply backup power.
The point-to-point ferry will have capacity to take 550 passengers and 75 cars the 13 kilometers | 8 miles from Iceland’s Landeyjahöfn on the mainland over to Westman Island. Electrifying the fixed length, scheduled transit lanes of the seas represents some of the lowest hanging fruit for replacing heavy diesel engines with electrified powertrains and allows operators and vehicle manufacturers to explore the potential of electrification in marine applications.
The new ferry is able to ‘fuel up’ while in port thanks to ABB’s Onboard DC Grid system that charges up the 3MWh battery pack (!!) directly from a shore-side DC link. According to ABB, the ferry will be able to recharge in just 30 minutes, on average, with the direct DC connection.