Thames Clippers is building the UK’s first hybrid high-speed passenger ferries, set to launch in autumn 2022 and spring 2023. The service is called ‘Uber Boat’ and will function as a public transport network across the Thames river.
The hybrid design allows the hybrid-electric vessels, which are being built at Wight Shipyard on the Isle of Wight, to operate solely on battery power while transporting commuters and sightseers through the British capital. The hybrid boats will be active throughout the ‘Central Zone’, between Tower and Battersea Power Station piers, and recharge while using bio-fuelled power outside of central London.
An aspect that the company mentions as advantageous is that the technology is not reliant on shore-based charging. Instead, the new boats will use excess power from the engines to re-charge their batteries for the central London stretch.
“This development in technology has enabled us to take the first major steps to meet our future environmental vision,” said Sean Collins, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers’ co-founder and CEO. “For over 20 years we have been at the forefront of innovation for the river marine sector. We are committed to supporting the sustainable growth, infrastructure and economic development on and around the river to endorse the river’s importance to London as a form of transport.”
Keyword: Thames Clippers to introduce hybrid ferries in London