The combination of
advances in boat hull design, hydrofoil design and electric storage technology
has prompted research into high-speed electric ferry vessels. So far, a pair of
companies has produced simulation video presentations of their future electric
ferry technology. One company is located in Ireland and the other in Australia,
both having had considerable background in the research and development of
high-speed vessels, one for commercial ferry purposes and the other for
competition.
The ferry has become an essential component in municipal and
short-distance intercity passenger transportation, with some ferry vessels
actually carrying road vehicles. Prior to the pandemic lockdown and long after
the lockdown period eventually ends, road vehicle traffic congestion occurring
during AM and PM rush hour periods literally slowed traffic to a crawl. During
such times, alternative forms of transportation that avoid the public roads
often provide much faster travel than road vehicles. Water-based ferry
transportation provides an essential service in many cities internationally, as
well as between many cities located within close proximity to each other.
The Australian companies INCAT and AUSTAL have designed and
built numerous configurations of mainly multi-hull, high-speed ferry vessels
that operate in Australia and internationally. Examples include carrying
passengers and road vehicles across Lake Michigan in the USA, also passengers
between towns of the Canary Islands and between the Caribbean islands of
Trinidad and Tobago. The team at Artemis Technologies of Ireland has had
extensive experience designing catamaran hydrofoil racing yachts and have begun
to focus their expertise on developing a battery-powered, high-speed hydrofoil
catamaran ferry vessel that would rival an electrically-powered high-speed
catamaran ferry concept from Austal.
The proposal from Austal would be capable of sailing in as
little as 2-m draft of water at a speed of 25-knots over a distance of up to
175-miles while the hydrofoil concept from Artemis Technologies is intended to
travel at up to double that speed, or 50-knots over a shorter distance. While
the Austal vessel is intended to carry up to 450-seated passengers, the Artemis
ferry is intended to carry up to 350-seated passengers. Both vessels promise to
offer smooth ride motions when sailing through choppy water that often occurs
between a mainland and an offshore island.
There are numerous examples where the maritime distance is
shorter that road or railway distance, such as the example across Lake Michigan
and also the Baltic Sea between Stockholm and Helsinki. While constructing a
bridge or excavating a tunnel will often provide more direct access using
railway or road vehicles, a continual increase in traffic will push the
infrastructure to its limits, again creating application for ferry vessel
service. While the design capacity of the competing concepts will have
application at numerous applications internationally, there are locations where
market size would require smaller-scale versions of these vessels.
While both concept ferry vessels propose to initially use
lithium-ion battery technology for propulsive energy storage, advances are
occurring involving alternative electrical energy storage technologies. The
developer of the original lithium-ion battery, Dr. John Goodenough has been
devoting research into solid-state battery technology while competitors have
been refining hydrogen storage combined with solid-oxide fuel cell conversion
to propulsive electric power. One developer of electric boats has proposed to
use vanadium flow battery energy storage technology as it offers potential for
20,000-deep-cycle recharges and discharges. Suitability of vanadium flow
technology in fast electric ferry vessels has yet to be established.
Other electric energy storage technologies of interest would
include the aluminum-air technology that is purported to be able to hold more
energy than lithium-ion technology. At the present time, while much development
work is still underway involving this technology, the suitability of applying
this particular battery technology to fast ferry application would likely be
known within the next year. Liquid air energy storage is currently being tested
in the UK and offers the possibility of rapid recharging, by transferring
super-cooled liquid air from insulted storage tanks located at a vehicle
terminal, with suitability for fast ferries yet to be established.
Austal is a leader in the design and construction of fast
ferry vessels, with numerous examples of their products in operation
internationally and sailing through rough ocean conditions. Artemis
Technologies has had extensive experience designing and building high-speed
catamaran hydrofoil vessels that have sailed through rough ocean conditions and
plan to adapt that expertise to fast ferry technology. A variety of evolving
electric energy storage technologies are currently under development. A few of
these technologies likely have future application in maritime propulsive energy
storage application, possibly allowing some future ferry vessels to sail
greater distance at higher speed.