Austal teases its first fully electric commuter ferry

Called Volta, the brand will make its debut with the Volta Passenger Express 46V, a fully electric 46-metre catamaran capable of carrying up to 450 passengers, 10 bicycles and three crew.

The ferry will be equipped with two magnet electric motors driving either fixed or variable-pitched propellers, and maybe even water jets, with a bank of lithium-ion batteries – more expensive to build, but lighter than nickel-cadmium ones – with a seven-year minimum lifespan lying inside each of the hulls.

The emphasis with the ferry is on its ability to get from one place to the next in a hurry – not yet a strong suit in electric boats – with a planned operating speed of 20 knots and a maximum speed nudging somewhere past 25 knots, and a low-speed maximum range of 175 nautical miles with a 20 percent battery reserve.

A graph showing expected real-world use shows the ferry will be good for around 10nm at 20 knots for a high-frequency commuter service with fast turnarounds, and around 20nm at 20 knots on a low-frequency route.

“The first of class, 46-metre Passenger Express 46V is a high-speed passenger ferry designed to provide an environmentally friendly, economical vessel ideal for metropolitan, inland waterway commuter ferry services,” Austal said.

According to Austal chief executive Paddy Gregg, the new Volta series of high-speed ferries represented the future of commercial maritime transport.

“For any high-speed vessel and even more so for electric-powered ferries, optimising vessel weight and performance is essential - driving not just operating costs, but the size and upfront purchase cost of the batteries and the charging system,” Gregg said.

“With Austal’s unique Volta series of custom-designed and built vessels, customers may achieve a lower total cost of ownership without compromising on performance or capability.

“Operators can reliably and profitably sail on schedule all day, every day,” he said.

“Austal’s Volta series also future proofs an operator’s fleet by introducing environmentally friendly green technology that already meets widely anticipated, low- or zero-emission targets for public transport vehicles and operators worldwide.”

The new passenger ferry will feature an all-new lightweight low-resistance hull form designed specifically for electric propulsion.

Inside, the boat’s “striking, modern” design features large panoramic windows and skylights positioned to provide a light-filled interior.

The Passenger Express 46V is also fitted with large automatic double sliding external doors to the passenger deck to help with getting passengers on and off the boat quickly.

It’s expected that this is also the time that the new battery-fuelled ferry will take on a quick top-up of electrons from its shore-based recharging infrastructure – the concept boat is shown using a Zinus autonomous charging arm.

It will also use solar panels to provide supplementary power.

Austal said Volta aimed to be able to provide customers with turnkey boats taking into account passenger numbers, vessel schedules and recharging needs.

The Volta Passenger Express 46V is the first of what Austal said will be a number of electric boats developed for commercial and defence needs, including fully autonomous versions.