E-ferry Ellen, the world’s most powerful fully-electric ferry, has received a positive final review from the EU in a recent report after nearly two years of successful operation. Danfoss Editron, Nordborg, Denmark, provided the fully-electric drivetrain for the ferry, with the battery system developed and delivered by Leclanché SA, Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland.
According to the report, the project has delivered exceptional results. It shows significant impacts on science and technology, the environment and society. The reports also states that the ferry is a true zero-emission solution that enables it to reduce greenhouse gases by 100% compared to any existing technology for marine transport.
Covering a 22-nautical mile crossing between the Danish islands of Ærø and Fynshav, Ellen is just under 60m long, has a width of approximately 13m and travels at speeds between 13-15.5 knots. The ferry can carry 198 passengers in the summer, with this capacity dropping to 147 during the winter. It can also hold 31 cars or five trucks on its open deck.
In 2015, the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program agreed to support the project. Ellen formally entered service at the beginning of July 2019. Now, the EU has completed a final review of the ferry’s performance. The EU has found that Ellen has delivered exceptional results, with significant immediate and potential long-term impacts. These include applying an extremely energy-efficient design concept and demonstrating that a fully-electric, emission-free, medium-sized ferry for passengers, vehicles and cargo can operate successfully on longer distances than previously seen in the maritime industry.
Leclanché’s battery system uses high-energy G-NMC lithium-ion cells with unique safety features, including a bi-cellular laminated design and ceramic separators. The safety structure also includes a fire suppression system offering protection against all unexpected external hazards (electrical, mechanical and thermal). At 4.3MWh, Ellen’s battery pack was the largest for maritime use at the time of installation. Additionally, Ellen is the first fully-electric ferry to have no emergency back-up generator on-board.
According to Leclanché’s project lead, Mika Lehmusto, “Ellen provides a critical proof point of how far maritime electrification has progressed. In fact, she illustrates that a fully electric-powered ferry is the least expensive operating solution, thanks to extreme high energy efficiency, low energy consumption and low maintenance costs, compared to modern diesel-powered ferries and especially older, traditional diesel vessels. We are already working with a range of next-generation vessels, leveraging breakthroughs we developed for Ellen, that will help propel the maritime industry towards its ambitious carbon-free goals for 2030.”
About Leclanché
Headquartered in Switzerland, Leclanché SA is a leading provider of high-quality energy storage solutions designed to accelerate our progress towards a clean energy future. Leclanché’s history and heritage is rooted in over 100 years of battery and energy storage innovation and the Company is a trusted provider of energy storage solutions globally. This coupled with the Company’s culture of German engineering and Swiss precision and quality, continues to make Leclanché the partner of choice for both disruptors, established companies and governments who are pioneering positive changes in how energy is produced, distributed and consumed around the world. The energy transition is being driven primarily by changes in the management of our electricity networks and the electrification of transport, and these two end markets form the backbone of our strategy and business model. Leclanché is at the heart of the convergence of the electrification of transport and the changes in the distribution network. Leclanché is the only listed pure play energy storage company in the world, organised along three business units: stationary storage solutions, e-Transport solutions and specialty batteries systems. Leclanché is listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX: LECN).
