The Swedish Transport Administration has received from the Estonian Baltic Workboats shipyard the hybrid-electric pax-car ferry Tellus, said to be Sweden's largest of its kind.

The 100 m-long ship, serving the Uddevalla-Lysekil route, can take up to 297 passengers and 80 cars per journey.

Danfoss Editron has supplied the electric power equipment that controls the ferry's propulsion. The power plant is connected to the 12 battery-racks provided by Corvus, which have a total capacity of 949 kWh.

The batteries are currently charged at night via an on-shore charging station and can also be charged by diesel engines while the ferry is in operation. However, this temporary solution will be replaced by automatic charging stations once the infrastructure is ready.

In addition to controlling the ferry's propulsion, the EDITRON load control system automatically supervises the power plant and ensures that fuel consumption is optimised at all times, even when the ferry is not operating fully-electric (when in hybrid-electric mode, the ferry will operate on a single genset, with the rest of the propulsion supported by battery power).

"Similar ferries are already in operation in Finland and Norway, so we are thrilled to see Sweden joining the movement. The electrification of the marine industry is a trend which will continue to grow as more countries introduce legislation related to reducing emissions in the sector. The versatility of our EDITRON system means that we can provide fully-electric and hybrid solutions for any kind of ferry. The future of the marine sector is definitely emission-free," Jani Hartikka, Project Manager, Danfoss Editron, commented.

Marek Müürisepp, Electrical Engineer, Baltic Workboats, added, "The Tellus ferry is a technical feat and we are looking forward to seeing more of ferries of its kind enter operation on Swedish waters. We are aiming to scale-up electrification in the marine industry and we are glad to have found a reliable partner in Danfoss Editron that shares the same vision."

"We are delighted to add the Tellus ferry to our fleet, which demonstrates that emission-free solutions are as efficient as their diesel counterparts. Our plan is to continue to upgrade our vessels with hybrid-electric systems in order to operate the most sustainable fleet possible in a near future," Peter Peterberg, Environmental Coordinator, Swedish Transport Administration, concluded.

Photo: Danfoss Editron