Ærø is an island gem in the Baltic Sea. With no bridge connecting it to the Danish mainland, its 6,000-plus residents rely on ferries to travel back forth. Now they can make the journey aboard the world’s largest electric ferry.
The Ellen started taking passengers last week. The ship can carry up to 30 vehicles and 200 passengers at a time at a top speed of 13 knots. Its 4.3MWh battery, provided by Switzerland-based Leclanché Energy Storage Solutions, gives it a range of about 22 nautical miles between charges.
That’s enough to cover the ship’s inaugural round-trip route from the town of Søby to Fynshav, on the neighboring island of Als. Initially operators have scheduled 3 trips per day, though they’re hopeful that Ellen will eventually be able to complete as many as 7.
The ship measures almost 200 feet long and 44 feet wide. Ellen tips the scales at 650 tons — almost six times heavier than the E-Dumper that Formula E driver Lucas di Grassi called the world’s largest EV.
Aero’s Director of Traffic, Keld Møller, said he’s “pleased to be able to offer the passengers an extraordinarily pleasant journey free from noise, vibrations and diesel fumes.” According to Leclanché CEO Anil Srivastava, Ellen will prevent the release of 2,000 tonnes of CO2, 42 tonnes of NOx, and 1.4 tonnes of SO2.
That’s encouraging news considering this is just one ferry. It gets even better when you consider that there are plans in motion to deploy at least 100 ships like it throughout the European Union over the next decade.
Ærø is an ideal spot for the first deployment. The island set a goal of running solely on renewable energy nearly 20 years ago and has sizable solar and wind turbine installations. Ærø has also been recognized as an environmental leader for its use of district heating.
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