The second of six 50-passenger aluminium catamarans that Hooghly Cochin Shipyard is building for IWAI runs on LTO batteries with a diesel generator and now links Haldia and Nandigram.

The electric propulsion motors draw power from a lithium titanium oxide battery pack, which can be recharged from the shore grid while the vessel is berthed. Marine Electricals (India) supplied the batteries and battery management system, the propulsion motors, the drives and propulsion control system, the vessel management system and the onboard DC fast charging system.

A four-stroke diesel generator can help extend the vessel’s range. It is rated for at least 70 kW continuous output at 415 V AC and 50 Hz and meets IMO Tier II emissions standards. The generator alone can drive the vessel at seven knots, and it can run in parallel with the batteries at higher speeds.

HCSL said the design can, “operate in a ‘zero-emission’ fully electric mode for urban river mobility and a hybrid mode for extended endurance.”