
A fleet of zero emissions 100t barges that operate solely on battery power are being built for canal trips in France.
UK company Backwater Cruising is currently constructing the first of 21 38m long vessels barges that will have a 300kWh battery bank powered by purpose-built canalside charging points to achieve zero carbon operation.
Isle of Wight-based Hybrid Marine will provide hybrid systems for the vessels, which Graeme Hawksley, founder and managing director, explained can ‘operate in serial hybrid mode, parallel hybrid mode and for five hours propulsion under battery alone along with air-conditioning’.
The hybrid system comprises twin Beta 105 parallel hybrid engines and a 49kVA generator. If an overnight charging point is not available then Continue reading “Fleet of battery powered zero emissions barges set for French waterways”