Artemis Technologies Unveils World’s Most Advanced 100% Electric Passenger Ferry
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Artemis Technologies.
These bullet points list the features of the EF-24 passenger ferry.
- With a top speed of 38 knots and a foiling range of 115 nautical miles at 25 knots, these vessels will transform the global passenger ferry market as it races to decarbonise
- Produces minimal wake, enabling high-speed operations in busy waterways
- Riding above the waves results in a comfortable ride, reducing effects of seasickness
- Efficiency of foils and electric drive system delivers significant OPEX savings including lower maintenance costs and up to 85% fuel savings
- Electric propulsion generates zero emissions in operation, removing air, water and noise pollution
- These 24 metre vessels designed and built by Artemis Technologies represent ground-breaking green innovations for commercial ferries, radically different from traditional ferries in operation
- First EF-24 Passenger ferry will be operated by Condor Ferries in 2024
- 100% electric, the vessels and systems developed by Artemis Technologies are designed to make the lowest possible impact on the environment
It certainly looks the part, but then it was designed using technology from racing yachts.
I have a few thoughts.
The Bangor And Belfast Trial Route
The press release says this about a trial route.
Artemis Technologies has partnered with Condor Ferries to operate a pilot scheme using the first EF-24 Passenger ferry. This will come into service in 2024, running between Belfast and Bangor in Northern Ireland.
This Google Map shows the location of the two cities.
Note.
- Belfast is in the South-East corner of the map.
- The Titanic Quarter and George Best Airport are marked.
- I walked between the Airport and the Titanic Quarter, when I visited five years ago.
- Bangor is in the North-East corner of the map.
I have actually travelled between Belfast and Bangor on a train, which I wrote about in A Train Trip From Belfast To Bangor.
As the Thames Clipper in London competes well for commuters and other passengers in London, I would think that they will attract passengers.
I regularly go one way to Battersea Power Station on the Northern Line and come back on the Clipper to London Bridge, as it puts a bit of fresh air in my lungs.
Will the good burgers of Belfast do the same?
As the service will start at the Titanic Quarter, it could be a tourist attraction.
Other Routes
If you look at the Wikipedia entry for hydrofoil, there are a lot of route possibilities.
I have a few suggestions.
Thames Clippers
The Thames Clipper fleet is all diesel and typical boats have a 28 knot cruising speed and carry between 150-172 passengers.
So it would appear that EF-24 Ferries would have a similar performance.
Thames Clippers have promoted the possibility of a service from London to Gravesend, which is under thirty miles by road.
An EF-24 Ferry might be ideal for the longer route.
High-Speed Routes Between Great Britain And Ireland
In High-Speed Low-Carbon Transport Between Great Britain And Ireland, I laid out ideas to travel between the two islands.
I showed that by using high speed trains to Holyhead and then a high speed ferry, times of under five hours could be achieved to both Belfast and Dublin.
If a High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Train were to be used timings from Euston to Holyhead could be.
- Euston and Crewe – 56 minutes – High Speed 2 prediction
- Crewe and Holyhead – 1 hour 58 minutes – Current time.
The second leg would be faster, if the route were to be electrified.
Mersey Ferries
Like Merseyrail’s elderly Class 508 trains, the Mersey Ferries are long in the tooth and need replacing.
In my view, Artemis Technologies could build some very suitable electric ferries.
New routes might also be developed to appeal to tourists.
I am sure there are many more routes in the UK and around Europe and the wider world.
Anglesey Hydrogen Can Bridge UK’s Energy Gap Says Economics Expert
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the University of Bangor web site.
This is the sub title.
Anglesey can become a UK leader in hydrogen energy technology, cleaning up the transport sector and creating high quality jobs across North Wales, according to a leading Welsh economic expert.
The University of Bangor is a respected university, that goes back to the nineteenth century.
But for Liverpool giving me an unconditional offer, as Bangor was one of the universities on my UCCA form, I could have studied in the North-West corner of Wales.
After a resume of where we are with hydrogen in the world, Dr. Edward Jones of Bangor University outlines how North West Wales can be turned into a hydrogen hub, to join similar hubs at Deeside in Flintshire and at Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire.
This is a paragraph of the article.
Dr Jones believes hydrogen could also hold the key to powering transport in future through a Welsh invention from the 19th century (the hydrogen fuel cell was developed in Swansea by William Grove in 1842).
William Grove was an interesting lawyer and scientist.
Dr. Jones would appear to be very much in favour of using hydrogen to take Wales forward to being zero-carbon in 2050.
I have written a few posts about the transformation of Anglesey and North West Wales, as Wales moves towards this goal. I also have some other thoughts of my own.
Holyhead Hydrogen Hub
This is happening and I wrote about it in Holyhead Hydrogen Hub Planned For Wales.
High Speed Two To Holyhead
I believe this could be a way to create a zero-carbon route between London and Dublin in under five hours and I wrote about it in Could High Speed Two Serve Holyhead?.
- London and Holyhead in a battery-equipped High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train should be under three hours.
- A single High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train would run between London and Holyhead, with a passenger capacity of around five hundred. It would probably split and join with another service at Crewe.
- Discontinuous electrification would be provided along the North Wales Coast Line.
- The trains could call at Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange, Chester, Crewe, Llandudno Junction and Bangor.
A High Speed catamaran would speed passengers between Holyhead and Dublin in under two hours.
Hydrogen-Powered Catamarans From Holyhead
The dynamics of a diesel-powered high speed catamaran are well-proven, with some large craft transporting passengers and vehicles on sea crossings all over the world.
Type “hydrogen-powered high speed catamaran” into Google and you get several hits to research and development projects, but no-one appears to have taken a large high speed craft and converted it to hydrogen.
But I do believe that someone somewhere is developing a hydrogen-powered catamaran with something like the following specification.
- 200 passengers
- 100-mile range
- 60 knot operating speed.
The HSC Francisco is a high speed craft that plies between Buenos Aires and Montevideo carrying over a thousand passengers and a hundred cars at 58 knots. It is powered by gas-turbine engines running on liquified natural gas.
I believe I’m not asking for the impossible.
Anglesey Airport As A Zero-Carbon Airport
Anglesey Airport uses part of RAF Valley and has hosted services to Cardiff.
This Google Map shows the runways of RAF Valley.
Note.
- The longest runway 14/32 is over two thousand metres long.
- Rhosneigr station in the South East corner of the map.
- The facilities of Anglesey Airport to the North-East of the runways.
The railway forms the border of the airport, as this second Google map shows.
The railway is straight as it passes the Airport and there would be space for a two-hundred metre bi-directional step-free platform for passengers for the Airport.
Airbus are proposing a hydrogen-powered ZEROe Turbofan.
If you think it looks familiar, I believe that Airbus are proposing to develop the aircraft out of the current Airbus A320neo.
- The capacity will be up to 200 passengers.
- The range will be up to 2000 miles.
- Dublin and Anglesey Airports are just 71.5 miles apart.
- The cruising speed of Mach 0.78 would be irrelevant on this route, as it would probably fly a route to minimise noise.
The plane would probably be able to do several trips between Anglesey and Dublin without refuelling.
As the Port of Holyhead is developing a hydrogen infrastructure, I suspect that to provide hydrogen refuelling at Anglesey Airport would be possible.
I believe that by combining hydrogen-powered aircraft with battery-electric trains, some difficult sea crossings can be made carbon-free.
I believe that Anglesey Airport could be key to a zero-carbon London and Ireland service.
- Airbus are also proposing a 100-seat ZEROe Turboprop.
- Belfast, Cork, Derry and Shannon would also be in range.
Flights could also continue to and from Cardiff.
Reopening The Anglesey Central Railway
This has been proposed as a Beeching Reversal project.
I wrote about it in Reopening The Anglesey Central Railway.
It could be reopened as a zero-carbon railway.
Conclusion
There is a lot of scope to use hydrogen in North West Wales and Anglesey.
A Train Trip From Belfast To Bangor
I took the train to Bangor and took these pictures.
Note the excellent breakfast at The Heatherlea Cafe in Bangor.
Northern Ireland Railways seem to be improving the service along the Belfast to Bangor Line.
In England, an equivalent line would be Merseyrail’s service between Liverpool and Southport.
- Both lines are important commuter and leisure routes.
- Both serve important tourist destinations.
- Both run along the water.
- Both have a big city at one end and a properous town at the other.
The big difference is that Merseyrail’s line has a regular four trains per hour service and the Irish line doesn’t.
If ever a line was calling out for this level of service it is Belfast to Bangor.
The Anonymous Widower 