Electric vehicle charging points on ferries
Should ferry operators be facilitating decarbonisation needs on the water sustainably?
A campaign to bring electric vehicle (EV) charging points on NorthLink ferries has been running for the last four years. The supporters are calling for a facility for EVs to be charged on the car deck of the boat, which is useful for the overnight journeys from Aberdeen to Shetland, and Orkney’s late-night arrivals. Critics call it counter-intuitive since the fossil fuels that currently power the ferries would be used to charge the EVs. However Scottish Green Party Councillor Alex Armitage welcomes the idea, saying it’s more important to support the transition from internal combustion engines (ICEs), reassuring that it’s only a matter of time until NorthLink services will switch to green hydrogen or related derivatives.
Internationally, there are many examples of ferry operators currently providing this service, such as the LNG-fuelled TT-Line fleet that links Sweden and Germany with more than 20 charging points onboard, and the Irish Ferries route, where Ulysses has 6 recharging points onboard. But will more lines be following suit?
EV charging points are available on TT-Line's Nils Holgersson and will be installed on the Peter Pan (Credit: TT-Line)
Safety concerns
The safety implications for ferry operators as they transport more EV vehicles is uncertain. The first EV battery fire on a ferry occurred back in 2010 on the vehicle deck as the MS Pearl of Scandinavia left Oslo for Copenhagen.
Cargo ship Felicity Ace went up in flames in February 2022, engulfing 4,000 vehicles, including 281 EVs, before capsizing on 1 March 2022. Experts from the National Fire Protection Association suspected the EVs on board contributed to the fire’s intensity and persistence for several days, where damaged lithium-ion batteries may have been prone to reigniting. But it remains a question if and how much EV batteries really have contributed to these fires. Of course, ICE car batteries also start onboard – take the example of the fire aboard Höegh Xiamen in June 2022 when preparing to depart from a terminal in Jacksonville, Florida (see Troublespot).
A number of ro-ro (roll-on, roll-off) providers including UECC, a leading provider of sustainable short sea ro-ro transportation in Europe are placing a charge limit on EV batteries of 20-50% for safety precautions.
Campaign for guidance
Returning to NorthLink ferries campaign, a lack of guidance from the Maritime Coastguard Agency previously prevented ferry operators from installing charge points. Now, after four years of campaigning, information is forthcoming. Orkney Renewable Energy Forum chairman Neil Kermode is pleased with the development: “As an EV driver I know that even the best planned trips can get a bit 'tight' for time and for charge. Getting to ferries can be stressful, but knowing there is a charger on a long distance ferry is a comfort.”
“Given that present ferries are generally diesel powered, it is best not to use on board charging as the electricity is going to be fossil derived. However, the only thing worse than using fossil generated electricity is being stranded somewhere late at night looking for a charger in a strange port.”
Funding and insurance implications
There is clearly an appetite for this service at ports and onboard. And new funding from the UK’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has been announced in September 2022 for small to medium sized business to introduce the infrastructure needed for installing and operating EV charge points in carparks, although it’s unclear whether a carpark on board a vessel would qualify.
From the point of view of insurers, allowing EVs to be charged at sea could present risks that the marine insurance market may not be prepared for, according to Laurence Besemer, CEO of Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL). Marine insurers are calling on manufacturers to make the transportation of EVs safer. The classification societies also have a role to play and ABS has already taken action by providing a guide on best practices for the transport of EVs on board vessels earlier this year.
Clarissa Wright is a freelance science journalist and Editor of NatureVolve.