The environmental and opex benefits of energy storage are driving more North American owners to opt for all-electric propulsion for their coastal passenger vessels. Developments in battery technologies, energy management systems and shore power charging, however, are making ‘ditch the diesel’ decisions a lot easier in certain harbour and coastal vessel applications. That is the case for two new all-electric tour boats built for US-based Maid of the Mist, which sails scenic cruises to the base of Niagara Falls. Using the power of Niagara Falls itself to propel the vessels, the all-electric boats, James V. Glynn and Nikola Tesla, will recharge shoreside each time they dock to load and offload passengers. Recharging to 80% capacity takes about seven minutes, with all of the renewable electricity generated by the Falls – one of the largest sources of hydropower in North America. These true zero-emission passenger vessels – the first newbuilds of their kind in the US – are each powered by a pair of battery packs with a total of 316 kWh, split between two catamaran hulls. This creates two independent power systems providing full redundancy. Read More: Riviera News
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