Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, has ordered 10 electric ferries from green technology company ABB, to utilise in its fleet in an effort to lower it’s carbon footprint and become more environmentally friendly.
Here are some positive highlights:
- According to the national 2050 Carbon Neutrality Roadmap, Lisbon aims to achieve a 98% reduction in greenhouse gases in the transport sector compared to 2005. Expanding their electric fleet is one of the main ways to help take steps towards this goal.
- According to the Maritime Battery Forum, there are 130+ battery-powered ferries in operation around the world. With the addition of 10 for Lisbon, this is a 7.7% increase in battery-electric ferries worldwide. There is still much work to do in this area but this is a positive development for the industry.
- The 10 new electric ferries are expected to cut CO2 emissions by 6,500 tons a year, which is roughly the equivalent of removing 1,400 gas powered cars off the road.
- Public ferry company Transtejo says that these electric ferries will commence service between 2022 and 2024.
- It plans to retire non-electric ferries used to transport people across Lisbon’s Tagus River.
- Data from the Maritime Battery Forum indicates that over 130 battery-powered ferries are already in operation, and 90 more are on order.
Antonio Pacheco, Director of GRP Division, Astilleros Gondán, says, “cutting greenhouse gas emissions are top priorities in urban planning. Today, the technologies chosen for fast ferries operating so close to the heart of the city must be clean and green, as well as proven in terms of safety and reliability. ABB has been selected both on the grounds of energy efficiency and its extensive experience in delivering all-electric and hybrid propulsion solutions to the ferry market.”