Market rockets for electric and hybrid vessels

Global emissions regulations are sending markets for electric and hybrid vessels soaring.

So says a report Electric Leisure & Sea-going Boats and Ships 2021-2040 from IDTechEx senior technology analyst Luke Gear.

Electric ships have some of the largest individual batteries of any EV sector, the report says.

These include Ellen, a 4300kWh electric ferry in service in Denmark with 34.4km range and a 4MW charging rate; another Denmark ferry the Stena Jutlandica which will have 50,000kWh for 80.4km range; and 11 Port Liner 6720kWh inland barges in the Netherlands using container battery storage but now with scaled-back plans for a flow-battery version  – the first prototype planned for release later this year.

There’s also Project e5, a 4000kWh electric tanker being developed in Japan by Asahi Tanker which is expected in the water by 2022 with 128km range; the Guangzhou Tanker, a 2400kWh inland tanker in China; and the AIDAperla, a 10,000kWh hybrid cruise ship in Italy.

Those compare with road EVs such as the 37kWh global average BEV and PHEV, a 67kWh car in the US, a 210kWh bus in China and an expected long-haul truck or around 600-1000kWh.

Meanwhile, another IDTechEx report Li-ion Battery Patent Landscape 2020 shows the number of lithium-ion patent applications has grown by about 300% since 2010.

Alongside this growth is the fact that current li-ion batteries are beginning to reach their performance limits, so that improvements to battery technology could prove lucrative, IDTechEx technology analyst Dr Alex Holland says.

“Certainly, competition between battery manufacturers is intensifying, emphasising the importance of battery R&D and protecting innovation.”

Since 2011, Chinese assignees have been responsible for about 47% of all patent applications.