Electric navigation technology is becoming more and more popular and is contributing to more sustainable mobility. This is why more and more cities are turning to electric mobility to reduce environmental pollution and better face the challenges of modernity also for water transport.
Let’s see which are the 3 main cities that are pioneers of electric mobility, which rely on Torqeedo engines to point directly towards the energy of the future.
Berlin and its electric Oranje Nassau with Deep Blue 100i engine
A few years ago, the Berlin Senate found that the air quality along the banks of the Spree River in the city center had truly worrying levels of particle pollution. A value up to 15 times higher than the legal limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO). These ultrafine particles are considered the main culprits of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. But behind every problem there is always a solution, and the situation is changing.
Berlin is intertwined with a 200 km network of rivers and canals: this means that boats are responsible for 10% of soot particles emission from transport, equivalent to the emissions of 120,000 cars.
The real change came in 2022: the Oranje Nassau was the first vessel to switch from diesel to electric propulsion, relying on a Torqeedo Deep Blue 100i electric motor and three lithium-ion batteries with a storage capacity of 120 kWh. The 19 meter long vessel transports hundreds of people every day between Museum Island, the Chancellery and the Tiergarten .
Obviously it is the beginning of a revolution that can offer many advantages, especially if we consider that there are 140 tourist boats and ferries navigating the canals of Berlin.
The transition to electric will not only improve air quality, but also the lives of city residents, offering a high performance thanks Torqeedo technology.
Amsterdam, working to launch the Roboats in the canals
The center of Amsterdam, built mainly in the 17th century, is not prepared to face the challenges of a modern city with around 900,000 residents and up to 20 million tourists a year. All this leads to heavy traffic in the narrow streets of the historic center, causing traffic jams and exhaust emissions. And even the historical channels aren’t particularly helpful.
To solve this problem, an autonomous boat equipped with 2 Torqeedo Cruise engines was created at the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS). It’s called Roboat and could soon be used to start collecting Amsterdam’s waste from the water or even transform traffic.
Roboat can transport garbage or goods, leveraging Torqeedo’s comprehensive energy management system and electric motor that easily integrate with autonomous driving systems.
Bangkok and electric transport systems
Not everyone knows but Bangkok is one of the busiest and most polluted cities in the world, so much so that the average resident spends over 64 hours a year in traffic jams. But there is always a way to improve things and make this metropolis more sustainable and livable. For this reason, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has decided to focus on a program which, by 2035, will make 30% of the transport system electric.
The key project for this step began in 2021, with the activation of the electric ferry service in the city’s canals, to ensure a connection between the Chao Phraya River and one of the central train stations.
The fiberglass boats are powered by 2 Torqeedo Cruise electric motors of 10 kW each and can accommodate up to 30 passengers, without producing emissions. But that’s not all: on the roof, solar panels have been installed that collect energy for the lights and other on-board loads.
In this way, even Bangkok, with its 1,100 channels, is preparing to become an example for the use of more and more electric ferries within the Asian market. And who knows, maybe this will become an important example for many other cities in the world!