Denmarks Eferry
© Ganossi

Denmark’s E-ferry to deploy first battery system

Leclanché has launched its Marine Rack System (MRS) – the first marine battery system of its type approved by revised DNV-GL rules – which will be used by Denmark’s E-ferry.

The E-ferry is to be launched at the end of this year and will take the mantle as the world’s largest, 100% electric ferry by battery capacity, equipped with a 4.3 MWh Leclanché lithium-ion battery.

E-ferry will be able to sail a record 110km on a single charge.

Leclanché chief executive Anil Srivastava said: “There is a huge opportunity for marine vessels across the world to reduce their harmful emissions and cut their operating costs by leveraging battery storage technology.

“This is why we developed the MRS and we are delighted that it is the world’s first such solution to receive type-approval from DNV-GL. This certification opens up a very exciting and substantial global market for Leclanché.”

Antti Väyrynen, vice-president of E-transportation, Leclanché, added: “Type-approval is an important catalyst to our market growth as it significantly simplifies the certification process of each vessel that uses the Leclanché MRS.”

Leclanché said that safety was one of the key focus areas when developing the MRS. The company performed multiple fire propagation tests to ensure that the battery system performed safely, even in the most extreme situations. The company said: ‘With the requirement to pass close to 20 separate tests, the DNV-GL certification process sets the benchmark for battery system safety in marine applications.’