Techno-economic feasibility study of battery-powered ferries

The move towards incorporating more-electric solutions in the transportation sector has gained increased momentum during the last decade. Cost of fossil fuels and environmental impacts of emissions are the main driving factors behind this growing trend. Nevertheless, advancements in battery technologies are the key enablers for the widespread application of electric alternatives in a more realistic manner. This paper looks into this trend from electric ferries perspective and presents a technical and economic feasibility assessment. The technical study includes sizing of the battery storage system based on Depth-of- Discharge (DOD) and maximum load scenario. The proposed sizing is validated against the measured load profile. The economic study includes initial investment, operational cost and maintenance cost of a battery powered electric ferry. The economic analysis considered the payback period (PBP) and battery lifecycles as assessment factors. The technical assessment results revealed that the proposed battery system can efficiently power the ferry within the stipulated DOD range. The maximum DOD achieved is 70 %, which provided a reasonable lifetime of 10.7 years. The economic analysis revealed that the battery’s DOD has significant effects on the investment cost of the system and the PBP. The PBP is found to be 6.7 years which is 37 % less than the lifetime of the battery. Overall, the battery-powered ferry is found to be feasible with 51.3% operational costs saving compared to the diesel-electric alternative.