Apr 19 2013
Electrovaya today announced that it has secured, in conjunction with its subsidiary, Miljøbil Grenland AS (Miljøbil) in Norway, an order for a large Lithium Ion battery system for the "Hisarøy" Electric Ferry.
Electric Car Ferry in Norway
The Ferry will be battery-powered by Electrovaya and operate as part of the county road between Mjånes and Hisarøy in Gulen municipality in Norway. This is a newly established car ferry route that will connect Hisarøy with the rest of Gulen municipality.
The Battery Electric Ferry can save up to approximately 180,750 liters of fuel consumption over its expected lifetime. That has a potential to save about 500 tonnes of emissions; 480 tonnes of CO2, 9 tonnes of Particulate Matter and Volatile Organic Compounds, 2 tonnes of Carbon monoxide and 2 tonnes of other type of emissions.
Electrovaya's SuperPolymer®2.0 battery system provides excellent performance and reliability with an exceptionally small on-board footprint. Following integrated design engineering and construction for the ferry company Wergeland AS by the consortia of Electrovaya, HAFS Elektro & Rør AS, Solund Verft AS, the electric ferry will be operational by late 2013.
The Ferry will operate approximately 10 round-trips per day between the mainland and the adjacent island, a round trip distance of about 1.6 kilometers. Electrovaya's on-board Lithium Ion battery will be opportunity-charged on the island between the round trips.
"Since the acquisition of Miljøbil in August, 2012, we have been developing a strategy to enter the maritime sector not only in Norway, but globally," said Paul L. Hart, Chief Financial Officer of Electrovaya. "The Norwegian market is expected to grow as the government has set a target to reduce the country's emissions by two thirds by 2030 and vessel companies are looking for energy-efficient propulsion systems. We believe Electrovaya will be leaders in this new business sector due to our high-energy density battery systems, toxic-free manufacturing process and our strong focus on system design & safety."
"We are delighted to be working with Electrovaya and Miljøbil Grenland," says Svein-Tore Eide, General Manager of Solund Verft AS, the ship building company responsible for the project. "This will be the first electric cable and road ferry in Norway, and there is another ferry project under discussion," Mr Eide continues, "Our customer, Wergeland AS, also currently operates a diesel driven cable ferry between Duesundøy and Masfjordnes and this ferry is targeted for conversion to electric in the near future." Mr. Eide says, "We selected Electrovaya due to its in-depth understanding of the energy storage system market, its high level of assistance during the design phase and its leading-edge technology." Mr. Eide concludes, "We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Electrovaya and Miljøbil on future opportunities in Norway and elsewhere."