Danfoss powers up the world’s strongest electric ferry

Monday, September 23, 2019
Electric ferry Ellen in the sunset

The groundbreaking E-Ferry has just been launched in Denmark with the help of Danfoss. The electrically powered ferry has the largest battery capacity at sea and navigates without CO2 emissions.

Ellen is the world's most powerful electric ferry. And it has just been deployed between Ærø and Als, the Danish home island of Danfoss.

On a round trip, Ellen travels 22 nautical miles, seven times further than any other electric ferry in the world today. She carries the largest battery capacity at sea.

"Ellen is an excellent example of the future for electric transport: cleaner, greener and more efficient. It is a key project for the EU and demonstrates the potential for electric ferries to end users and the industry itself,” says Kimmo Rauma, Vice President of Danfoss Editron, and adds:

"We want to change the world by helping to alleviate pollution, and we believe that industry can lead the way. With a powerful Danfoss Editron system running it, Ellen will be positioning Danfoss as a world leader in the development and delivery of world class electric ferries.”

Danfoss Editron is already number one in electric solutions for off-highway and marine transport technology and Ellen is Danfoss’ electric flagship.

The skipper for the crossing, Søren Svendsen, is accustomed to sailing diesel vessels. He describes the change to electricity "like going from an old Volvo Amazon to a Tesla."

“Everything can be electrified”

“Ellen shows that electrification holds tremendous potential,” says Eric Alström, President of Danfoss Power Solutions.

“Electrification know-how and products will be important ingredients for Danfoss’ success in the future. We will electrify complex machinery, achieving not only reductions in CO2 and other emissions, but also improve productivity and efficiency of such machines. Danfoss Editron is already recognized as a technology leader, and we are investing heavily in the business to ensure we stay in the forefront of electrification.”

For Vice President of Danfoss Editron, Kimmo Rauma, the overall mission of Ellen and her electric powers will be to convince the world that technologies that can change the world are within reach:

”There is a lot to be gained by electrifying heavy duty machines and the marine sector and ferries operate all the time, around the clock,” Kimmo Rauma says, and he adds:

"Together we can bring electrification to even more transport sectors that have not yet heard the soft sounds of our drivetrains and propulsion motors. Everything can be electrified!"

The highly innovative electric ferry is funded by Horizon 2020, the EU’s largest ever Research and Innovation program.

E-Ferry

E-Ferry is a project co-funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program involving the design, building and demonstration of an  electrically powered ‘green’ ferry which can sail without polluting and CO2 emissions. It promotes energy efficient, zero greenhouse gasses emission and air pollution free waterborne transportation for island communities, coastal zones and inland waterways in Europe and beyond.

  • Total cost: 21.3 M€
  • EU funding: 15 M€
  • 10 partners – including Danfoss Editron

For more information:

Danfoss Media Relations
Phone : +45 70 20 44 88

Related links:

The E-Ferry project

Danfoss Editron

Engineering the world of Tomorrow

Engineering the world of Tomorrow

Danfoss engineers advanced technologies that enable us to build a better, smarter and more efficient tomorrow. In the world’s growing cities, we ensure the supply of fresh food and optimal comfort in our homes and offices, while meeting the need for energy efficient infrastructure, connected systems and integrated renewable energy.

Our solutions are used in areas such as refrigeration, air conditioning, heating, motor control and mobile machinery.

Our innovative engineering dates back to 1933 and today Danfoss holds market-leading positions, employing more than 26,000 and serving customers in more than 100 countries. We are privately held by the founding family.