Hyke launches small fuel cell hydrogen ferry in Norway

Norwegian company Hydrolift Smart-City Ferries (Hyke) has developed a 50-passenger, all-electric passenger ferry that weighs just 10 tons and can be mass-produced.

The Hyke Shuttle 0001 is 15 meters long and 5.7 meters wide, with an output power between 60 kW and 150 kW (depending on the version) and a total battery capacity between 95 kWh and 285 kWh. The electric ferry's roof is equipped with solar panels that can automatically charge wirelessly. Hyke gave a maximum speed of 15 knots (28 km/h) and energy consumption of 10 to 12 KWH per hour at a speed of 6 knots.

Paris has ordered four electric ferries for the Olympic Games next summer. Hyke expects to be able to build around 15 to 20 vessels per year initially and 100 per year in the future. Hyke is also developing its own autonomous navigation technology, which is built into all of its vessels. Therefore, electric ferries will also be able to operate without a captain in the future.

Norway has been making considerable progress in trying to electrify its ferry system across the country, announcing in March that Norway's longest ferry route would be electrified by 2025. Electric drive systems are not the only focus of attention for the Norwegian ferry world, with Ballard signing a contract to supply fuel cell modules for ferries in February last year. In 2021, the world's largest electric ferry, along with three other electric ferries, went into operation in Norway. In fact, Norway's work to integrate new energy technologies into the ferry system began as early as 2018.

"We have to reduce CO2 emissions, we have to reduce queues on the roads, we have to revitalise our cities. Urban regeneration often means the development of new residential areas and offices near the water, which in turn brings new transportation challenges and opportunities." The CEO of Hyke said.