The first two units of a planned fleet of 27 electric catamaran ferries is scheduled to enter service this year on Bangkok's Chao Phraya River, making these the first fully-electric passenger vessels in operation in Thailand.
Each ferry will have a length of 24 metres, capacity for 200 passengers, and two Danfoss Editron EM-PMI375-T800 174kW liquid-cooled electric motors.
Two of the ferries are currently undergoing testing. After these two vessels have completed trials, the remainder of the fleet will be rolled out to various operators in Bangkok over the course of a year.
Local company Energy Absolute is investing US$33 million in the project. This will include installation of fast-charging shore stations that could fully recharge the ferries' batteries in as little as 15 minutes.
The ferries will be capable of operating for up to four hours on each charge, ensuring a range of more than 80 kilometres.
