Review of the Design and Technology Challenges of Zero-Emission, Battery-Driven Fast Marine Vehicles

Abstract

The paper deals with a critical review of unique problems and challenges related to the design and technology of zero-emission, battery driven, fast marine vehicles. The uniqueness of the ensuing ship design problem is the request to fit maximum battery capacity and to ensure minimum required power in order to achieve the set operational requirements for high service speed and sufficient range. The high-speed requirement is inherently connected with the request for minimum structural and lightship weight, while the design needs also to comply with set regulatory safety constraints. The underlying research is in the frame of the EU funded project TrAM (Transport: Advanced and Modular) and leads to the development and construction of a physical demonstrator for operation in the Stavanger area in Norway. The paper discusses the incurring critical issues, discusses the feasibility of the concept and concludes on the way ahead.

Keywords

• zero-emission waterborne transport
• battery-driven ship
• fast catamaran
• hydrodynamic optimization
• tunneled transom stern
• high propulsive efficiency