New hybrid-electric ferries for British Columbia

摘要

The two newest ferries to go into service for BC Ferries are unlike anything else in the provincial fleet. Perhaps most newsworthy is the power: it's hybrid-electric. These are the first with electric power, but not the last. BC Ferries intends to add at least four more in the near future. With two l,500-kW/690V generators, officially referred to as "auxiliary" power, and an 800-kWh bank of Corvus lithium-ion batteries, the new vessels can run on either diesel-electric or battery power. For now, BC Ferries says that battery power will be used 20% of the time. In the future, battery power will take over entirely, once shoreside power infrastructure is in place for high-speed recharging and additional batteries are installed in the ferry.