EVs and water don’t mix, or so we’re told. They can catch fire if submerged, and they’ve even been banned by some shipping operators. However, not everybody in the marine world is so against electric cars. Indeed, on some ferries, you can even charge your EV while you’re out on the water!
Marine Charging Point (MCP) is the company that’s working to make that happen. Founded in 2017, the name pretty much says it all—it specializes in EV charging solutions specifically for the marine market. If you want to recharge an EV on a ship, they’re probably the first company you’d speak to.
If you’re a regular ferry commuter, or you’re taking your EV on a maritime journey, you might appreciate the ability to top off at sea. It’s not so different from charging on land—you’re just getting your power from a different source.
Perhaps the best example of marine EV charging technology is the install that MCP completed on two new ferries in Denmark and Sweden. Operated by ferry company Øresundslinjen, the M/S Tycho Brahe and M/S Aurora were both equipped with the most powerful EV chargers ever fitted to a marine vessel.
Each ship features eight charging points, which can individually deliver up to 160 kW during DC fast charging. As a whole, each ship can deliver 600 kW total, so you can’t pull 160 kW on each charger all at the same time. However, charge rates do tend to taper off as vehicles get closer to full battery, so it’s not that much of a handicap. In any case, getting some charge during your downtime at sea is better than getting none at all.
The ships run a 20-minute crossing between Denmark and Sweden. At peak rates, MCP notes you could theoretically grab around 155 miles (250 km) of range during the journey. Indeed, on such a short crossing, DC fast charging is really a must to get any value out of the process. Payment is as simple as using your card at the charger itself.
Obviously, there is no grid power at sea, so it’s up to the ship itself to provide the electricity for EV charging. Both ships were originally diesel-powered when built in 1991. However, they were converted to battery-electric operation in 2017, with diesel propulsion now only used as a backup. Each ship has a massive 4 MWh battery on board, so there’s plenty of juice to top off a few EVs in transit.
As for the ship itself, its batteries are recharged from the grid when the ferry is at dock, with the aid of a robot arm. As a guide to what it takes to recharge an entire ship, the shore supply delivers 10.5 megawatts for 6 to 9 minutes while docked. The conversion to electric drive saves up to 65% of CO2 emissions, and only green renewable energy is used to recharge the ships.
MCP isn’t the only player in this space, either. Other companies supply marine EV chargers, too, and ship operator TT-Line has made particular waves with its Green Line of charger equipped ferries in recent years. The ships run on liquified natural gas (LNG), intended to be cleaner than conventional shipping fuels. Ultimately, this means the power for the charging system does come from a fossil fuel source, but that’s not so different to many grid-charged EVs anyway.
The practice of recharging EVs on ships actually goes back farther than you might think. However, some early mishaps did limit uptake for some time. Perhaps most notable was the Pearl of Scandinavia fire in 2010. As per the official accident report, the blaze was started in a Nissan Qashqai that had been converted into an EV by its owner.
The above incident led to a temporary cooling of plans to establish EV charging. In some sectors, fears around battery fires have seen some jurisdictions ban charging at sea. Meanwhile, several maritime industry groups have pushed ahead with the technology, looking to develop standards for equipment and procedures to enable safe charging at sea. Ultimately, just as on land, many agencies have found that EVs are actually relatively similar to ICE vehicles in terms of fire risk.
Indeed, some operators that have previously outlawed the practice are now coming around. Down in Australia, the Spirit of Tasmania ferry service currently bans EV charging on board. However, the company’s new-build vessels will be equipped with 20 AC charging points on board for the convenience of travelers. With 150 kW total capacity for all 20 charge points, and with AC chargers typically maxing out at 22 kW, passengers will only be able to charge relatively slowly. On the Spirit of Tasmania route, this isn’t such an issue, as the journey from Geelong to Devonport takes anywhere from 9 to 12 hours.
The Australian ferry service will introduce two new ferries—Spirit of Tasmania IV and V—which will offer AC charging during the roughly 10-hour journey between Geelong and Devonport.
It’s easy to see the value of these installations. It’s down to pure convenience—if your car is going to be stuck on a ferry for a few hours anyway, you might as well get a charge while it’s there. It’s also useful for edge-case situations. For example, if you’re battery is running low but you don’t want to miss the ferry, you can arrive with almost nothing left and top it up in transit. There’s no need to worry about getting to your destination with no power to drive off the ship.
If you’re taking your EV over the water, it’s more likely than ever that you might see a charger on your ferry. Expect these convenient installs to grow in popularity as ferry operators continue to optimize for what their customers are looking for.
Image credits: MCP, Credit: Gopal Vijayaraghavan CC BY 2.0, Spirit of Tasmania, TT-Line, Lewin Day
“MCP”? I hope they rename themselves before really distributing things with that branding.
Otherwise, it might just be End of Line.
Interesting. I grew up on an Island, so I’m very familiar with ferry crossings. I wonder how they would reserve these spots? I’d imagine immense pushback from non-ev drivers if EV’s were given some sort of boarding priority.
Put these chargers at rest stops and I’ll be ready to live the EV lifestyle.
Why yes, I would like my 100 kWh battery charged in 34 seconds, thank you.
I feel like that would nuke your EV’s battery in most cases. Would be neat if the tech gets to that point where you could sustainably charge an EV in a few minutes, that would put it on par with an ICE vehicle in terms of convenience.
Hahaha. I imagine that level of charging takes a rather girthy cable.
Cars catching fire is the least of my concerns when I’m on a boat in the Baltic.
See: Estonia, Wilhelm Gustloff, etc.
My first thought as well. After watching a few Brick Immortar videos on ferry incidents, if I ever find myself on one, my strategy is to stay on a deck with outside access.
They don’t call Ro-Ro’s “Roll on, Roll OVER” for nothing.
My 13-year-old is obsessed with ocean liners and he watches that channel and “Oceanliner Designs” religiously.
I’m more partial to Drachinifel, because naval stuff.
A 10-hour salt water ferry ride, featuring multiple cars with unknown levels of battery state/care, charging on it by using the ship’s internal battery power?
You go first. I ain’t that cocky about EV safety. lol
I’d only worry about salt water getting in the car batteries if the ship flooded. And at that point, I’d be more worried about the ship sinking
I’d be more worried about the spray corroding the exposed contact points (or even the connecting “joints” on the chargers themselves. Seems to me that they’d be very hard to keep (for lack of a better term) unmolested by the conditions.
That’s kind of silly, do you think people who have EV’s and live on the coast are constantly having their cars explode? Spoiler: They aren’t. Well at least mine hasn’t yet, and hasn’t exploded on the ferry yet either. I’m sure the connectors on the chargers might have to be maintained more frequently, but thats the only issue I can really see.
EVs and water don’t mix, or so we’re told.
Ocean going submarines have been HEVs since nearly day one so someone has been grossly misinformed.
I wonder how quiet it is? It’d be nice to not have that drone in the background.
https://youtu.be/dgg_pohK-q8
This answers my question. This is the real story here, the ship these chargers are installed on.
What about sharks?
Was waiting for this, thank you.
Isn’t there a bridge between Denmark and Sweden? Are the tolls on that bridge so high that the (presumably slower) ferry is a viable option?
Yep, between Copenhagen airport area to Malmo. I’m not sure that route even has a ferry. Since they mentioned a 20-minute trip, I’m guessing this is Helsingoer to Helsingborg (Be careful ordering THAT ticket!) which according to GMaps is the only other ferry between those two islands, and much shorter — probably 20 minutes. No bridge there. There are other Danish-Swedish ferries around the peninsula but they all look a bit longer.
Fun fact: There was a four season “Nordic noire” series co-produced by Sweden’s SVT and Denmark’s DR called “The Bridge,” in English. Bron/Broen in Swedish and Danish, respectively. The bridge itself is prominently featured. It’s a fantastic production. I was able to stream it back in 2016 or so, but I don’t know if it’s currently available.