E-ferry Ellen


E-ferry Ellen is a pioneering electric car ferry. On entering service in 2019, she was the largest electric ferry in the world. She operates the 22 NM route between the islands of Ærø and Als in Southern Denmark.

History

Ellen was developed under E-Ferry, an EU-backed project costing EUR 21.3 million. Although this is around 40% more expensive than a conventional vessel, operating costs are 75% lower. She was the world's largest all-electric ferry in 2019, superseding the, which operates between Denmark and Sweden. It is expected that she will save the release of 2000t CO2 per year.
Construction work begun in August 2016, by SSH’s subcontracting yard Ridzon, in Szczecin, Poland. In September, the 22 larger sections of the E-ferry were welded together and the hull was towed to Søby on Ærø for outfitting.

Layout

Ellen can carry 30 vehicles and 200 passengers. She was designed to minimise weight. Her passenger areas are on the same level as the open car deck. She does not have ramps, instead using those on shore. The hull is steel but the bridge is made of aluminum. Deck furniture is made from recycled paper rather than wood, giving the ferry a total weight of 650 tonnes.
Ellens batteries were developed by Leclanché of Switzerland. They are split between two battery rooms below deck and have a capacity of 4.3 MWh, larger than any other electric vessel. She is one of the first such vessels to have no emergency generator. A charging arm on the shore ramp moves with the tide and allows battery recharging while loading.

Service

Ellen was built to operate the 22 nautical miles between the islands of Ærø and Als in Southern Denmark. She replaced MF Skjoldnæs from 15 August 2019.

Gallery