Water Vehicles

Torqeedo provided the integrated propulsion system for the world's first electric-powered freefall lifeboat, which is being built by the Dutch builder Verhoef. The vessel recently passed its final drop tests, making it the first fully functional electric lifeboat in the world.

GE's Power Conversion business and Nedstack, a leading fuel cell manufacturer, are collaborating on developing hydrogen fuel cell systems for powering zero-emission cruise vessels.

The Bubble Taxi is a small, fast & very efficient electric hydrofoil craft that can carry up to 5 passengers (including the pilot) with a maximum speed of 25 km/h, producing no wave, no noise and no emission.

Naval Group and Centrale Nantes have printed the first demonstrator of hollow propeller blades by metal additive manufacturing as part of the European H2020 project, RAMSSES1. Funded by the European Commission, this collaborative program aims to reduce the environmental impact of ships.

Wärtsilä has signed an agreement with Hagland Shipping AS for a hybrid retrofit installation. The project will take place onboard the 'Hagland Captain', a general cargo vessel owned by Hagland Shipping. It will be the first project of its kind ever in short-sea shipping applications.

In the next phase of Gothenburg's drive to connect its residents with a seamless citywide low emission commuting network, a Volvo Penta powered electric ferry service is being introduced into the ElectriCity transport ecosystem.

Corvus Energy has been selected by Norwegian Electric Systems to supply lithium ion battery-based energy storage systems for five new all-electric ferries being built by Havyard for Norwegian ferry operator Fjord1.

The Ministry of Environment through the Directorate of the Galápagos National Park together with the NGO Island Conservation started eradicating invasive rodents from North Seymour Island and the Mosquera Islet in January 2019. These islands are important tourism and seabird nesting sites for species such as frigate birds and swallow-tailed gulls, which are the only nocturnal gull on the planet.

A researcher has developed a system based on fuel cells to reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption of cruise ships, which are increasingly popular among vacation goers around the world.

IDTechEx will be hosting a free webinar on Thursday 7 February titled The Transition to Electric and Hybrid Boats and Ships: Markets and Drivers.