Study on a Fully Electrified Car Ferry Design Powered by Removable Battery Systems Considering Domestic Coastal Environment

Abstract

As increasing the international community’s awareness of greenhouse gas reduction, the demand for eco-friendly ship fuel has accelerated recently. The fundamental aim of this study is to develop a new type of fully electrified ferry for passengers and cars considering Korean domestic coastal environmental conditions. Several technical difficulties are encountered in applying a fully electric propulsion system based on removable battery systems into a ship due to limitations imposed by the batteries’ size and capacity. This paper reviews and analyzes marine environment regulations strengthened recently, technology trends related to fully electric propulsion vessels in each country, and Korean domestic coastal environments. We propose a new fully electrified car ferry design with a displacement of 400 t applied in Korea. It is powered by removable battery systems pre-charged in a safe inland charging station. The mobile battery system is developed to enable roll-on and roll-off using wheels. The characteristics of the ship motion are analyzed based on the weight and location of the battery systems. We expect our battery systems to be applicable to larger ships in the future.