MV Ampere is the world's first battery electric car ferry, operating between Lavik and Oppedal in Norway. It is owned and operated by Norled, and crosses the Sognefjord, the longest and deepest fjord in Norway.[3][4]

in Sognefjord, May 2019
History
Norway
NameMV Ampere (formerly ZeroCat)
OperatorNorled
Port of registryStavanger, Norway
RouteLavik - Oppedal
BuilderFjellstrand in Omastrand
Yard number1696
Maiden voyageMay 2015
Identification
Statusin service
General characteristics
Class and typeElectric Ro-Ro Passenger ferry
TonnageGross tonnage: 1598[1]
Length260 ft (79 m)[2]
Beam21 m (68 ft 11 in)
Installed power800 kW (1,073 bhp) battery
PropulsionAzipull thrusters with controllable pitch propellers
Speed10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h)
Capacity360 passengers, 120 cars

History

edit

MV Ampere is the world's first battery electric car ferry, developed and built in Norway. Its development was the result of a competition, launched by the country's Ministry of Transport and Communications in 2011, to develop an environmentally friendly ferry service between the two villages.[4]

It is reported that she avoids the use of one million litres of diesel annually and offsets 570 t of carbon dioxide and 15 t of nitrogen oxide emissions compared to a conventional ferry on the same route.[4]

Layout

edit

MV Ampere has 260 ft twin hulls constructed from aluminum to minimise weight. She is propelled by Rolls-Royce Azipull thrusters, powered by two 450 kW electric motors with batteries. The 10 t lithium-ion batteries were developed by Corvus Energy and integrated by Siemens with an overall output of 1,000 kWh. They can be recharged in 10 minutes between crossings from high-capacity batteries at each port.[2] [5] Other energy saving features are LED lighting, solar panels and air conditioning with a waste heat recovery system.[4]

Service

edit

MV Ampere operates the 5.7 km, 20 minute crossing between Lavik and Oppedal.[2]

Footnotes

edit
  1. ^ "Ampere". Marine Traffic. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  2. ^ a b c Keith Barry (2013-02-01). "World's First Electric Car Ferry Recharges in 10 Minutes". Wired. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  3. ^ Butler, Jeff (2019-01-27). "Norway leads an electric ferry revolution". Plugboats. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  4. ^ a b c d "Ampere Electric-Powered Ferry". Ship Technology. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  5. ^ Roberts, L, Jeff. "Tycorun". Retrieved 8 March 2022.