Stockholm-based Echandia has inked an agreement to offer the world’s first emission-free high-speed catamaran with a battery and hydrogen-based fuel cell technology combined.
Green City Ferries AB is the client, and the boat is intended for business traffic in Stockholm. Echandia will get around SEK 14 million from the arrangement. The installation will take place in the autumn of 2022.
Echandia is a market leader in sophisticated battery and fuel cell systems for marine electrification. The arrangement covers the Beluga24 type, which was developed by New Zealand’s Teknicraft and Italy’s Studio Sculli and is produced in carbon fiber by Green City Ferries north of Stockholm. Echandia’s integrated battery and fuel cell systems consume less hydrogen, resulting in significant weight savings, and the battery portion is significantly lighter than rival technologies.
When it comes to public transportation in Stockholm, the fleet of vessels accounts for approximately 5% of energy consumption but almost 50% of annual carbon dioxide emissions (according to Btplan Stockholm 2025). Green City Ferries’ purpose is to transition cities worldwide to emission-free and rapid waterborne transportation. This initiative begins in Stockholm, with support from Klimatklivet and the European Union. Green City Ferries will acquire extra external funds prior to initiating final production stages.
Magnus Eriksson, CEO, Echandia, comments: “Sweden has been lagging behind internationally when it comes to electrifying shipping, but now the pace is increasing here as well. We are proud to be a part of this project that not only contributes to reducing emissions from Stockholm’s waterborne local transport but is also the first in the world with an emission-free high-speed catamaran. The ferry will be equipped with an integrated system with both batteries and hydrogen, which is significantly more energy efficient compared to solutions with separate systems.”
Fredrik Thornell, CEO, Green City Ferries, comments: “We are very pleased to collaborate with Echandia in this groundbreaking project, which we see great interest in globally. We will build a completely emission-free high-speed catamaran intended to operate in Stockholm’s waters. Echandia is the perfect partner for that. Compared to other tenders, Echandia’s solution means significantly lower total weight with high safety.”
