Danish e-ferry Ellen to get new battery system

Swedish maritime battery system provider Echandia has been selected to deliver a new battery system for E/F Ellen, a long-range pure electric car ferry operated by Ærøfærgerne in Denmark.

As informed, Ærøfærgerne has chosen Echandia as supplier of the new battery system following a tender. Scheduled operation with the new battery system will be in May 2026.

Echandia will supply a 3.2 MWh LTO battery system to replace the previous 4.3 MWh NMC system. The new system is designed for a 15-year lifetime.

“We are very pleased that Echandia has secured the tender. We see them as a trusted partner with a well-suited battery system for this type of application. The Echandia solution meets our requirements for long lifetime, high roundtrip efficiency, and maximum safety,” Allan Filtenborg from Ærøfærgerne said.

Echandia’s lithium-titanate oxide (LTO) technology is suited for high-frequency, fast-charging RoPax ferry operations. The system supports very high C-rates, enabling over 20,000 charge cycles and charging in around 25 minutes. It is an improvement of 10 minutes per charging session.

Delivered in 2019, Ellen was the world’s first long-range, pure electric ferry and a symbol of zero-emission passenger transport. The vessel operates to and from the island of Ærø in southern Denmark.

At eight years of age, the original NMC battery system will be replaced due to uneven wear and reduced capacity.

“We will deliver and commission an optimized complete battery system within six months, making sure the vessel is ready for summer operations 2026,” Torbjörn Bäck, CEO at Echandia, said.

Last month, Echandia was also selected to supply energy storage systems for at least eight newbuild cargo vessels to be owned by Dutch shipping company Spliethoff Group. As disclosed, the contract includes the option to equip an additional pair of cargo vessels with the battery systems. The units are presently under construction at Wuhu Shipyard in China.