ABB has secured a contract with Auckland Transport (AT) to deliver the maritime world’s first megawatt charging system (MCS) to recharge electric ferries.
ABB believes this lowers the barrier to entry with a standardised and adaptable system which is expected to improve electric vessel competitiveness against fossil-fueled counterparts. As part of its Mission Electric initiative, AT has ordered two 200-seat all-electric ferries and two 300-passenger hybrid-electric ferries and is expected to become the largest electric ferry fleet operator in the Southern Hemisphere by 2030. Replacing conventional, diesel-operated ferries, the new ferries are estimated to help AT cut diesel use by 1.5m litres, and CO2e emissions by 4,000t per year.
Nathan Cammock, AT Programme Director said: “It is incredibly exciting to lead the way with modern, low-emission public transport. Our new Auckland-owned ferries will bring greater passenger capacity, improved accessibility and a more consistent customer experience. They will rely on modern charging infrastructure to deliver on these capabilities.”
While ferries carry only 6% of public transport users in Auckland, their diesel engines have been found to produce 20% of the city’s public transport greenhouse gas emissions. New Zealand has set decarbonisation goals by including a 2050 net-zero emissions target in its Zero Carbon Act. Given its responsibility for public transport infrastructure around the Hauraki Gulf, AT has chosen to electrify its ferry network using the CharIN megawatt charging system standard.
ABB will work with local partners to deliver, engineer and install five complete charging systems during 2024 and 2025 at several ferry terminals. Each system will feature a pair of 1.65MW chargers, consisting of a transformer, ACS880 converters, MCS plugs and cable management on the ferry pontoons. The chargers will deliver over 3MW of DC power to sustain the short turnarounds and high power demands needed to maintain an efficiently operated ferry fleet. The connectors will be handled by crew during passenger turnarounds.
The Auckland installation will be the first MCS supplied by ABB to benefit from the standardised plug-in interface, although the group has been delivering shore-to-ship power for over 20 years since an initial contract with Princess Cruises in Alaska. The Auckland solution will be similar in charging capacity to ABB’s landmark project to support 10 all-electric ferries for public transportation provider Transtejo Soflusa in Lisbon, Portugal.
Murray Burt, AT Chief Engineer said: “ABB’s proven experience in delivering robust and high-performance ship charging solutions and their willingness to embrace the megawatt charging system were major considerations in AT’s choice. It was important to combine ABB’s global support capabilities and long-standing local presence for a project that will transform Auckland’s ferry services.”
Palemia Field, Ferry Segment Manager, ABB Marine & Ports added: “Ferries connect communities and have a significant impact on the environment. There’s a well-known Māori proverb which says ‘ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi’, or ‘once the old fishing net is worn, it is put aside to make way for the new fishing net’. Electrification is crucial and we must move away from emissions-generating technologies. Noise- and emission-free operations benefit both the broader and local communities, while passengers onboard enjoy improved travel comfort thanks to less vibration.”
As the electrification of the global ferry fleet increases, ABB expects more operators to opt for a standardised interface that is familiar from other industries.
Field said: “We are ready to deliver the MCS solution to meet the demand, wherever standardized connections make it easier for operators to design their ferries and terminals.”
Electric ferry orders made up 37% of the maritime battery capacity deliveries between 2019 and 2022, according to research published by IDTechEx. A 2023 forecast from Spherical Insights suggests that the market for all types of electric ships will double in value by 2030 over a 2021 baseline, to surpass US$ 10.5bn.
