EMEA News
Finland's Oldest Ferry Now Country's First All-Electric Passenger Vessel
Visedo Oy has announced that Finland's oldest operating ferry, Föri, is ready for service after being retrofitted to become the country's first all-electric passenger vessel.
The ferry, which now features a zero-emission electric drivetrain intended to boost efficiency and reduce operating costs, is set to be officially re-launched by the City of Turku on Saturday.
"The Föri ferry is a national treasure but with its old diesel engine, fuel consumption and emissions were high and overall efficiency poor. Visedo power brings the 100-year-old vessel into the 21st century without changing its character and delivers zero-emission transport for Turku," said Heikki Sallinen, Visedo Project Engineer.
Turku commissioned Mobimar Ltd (Mobimar) boatyard to complete the ferry's upgrade, which saw the removal of the vessel diesel-powered hydraulic motor and the old control system.
"The new installed system was eight tonnes lighter; consisting of two Visedo permanent magnet motor drives and two Visedo DC/DC converters which control the ferry's DC grid," explained Visedo.
The upgraded vessel now draws power from batteries that are charged overnight, and features a new power system that works to improve redundancy, enabling the ferry to run on one or two motors.
"The revolution to electrify the world's diesel transport is already underway. After powering Asia's first hybrid electric ferry in Taiwan and continuing to work on the project to power the world's biggest E-ferry in Denmark, at home Visedo is proud to help transform Finland's oldest ferry into its first all-electric vessel," said Sallinen.
