See Niagara Falls the green way with ABB

The new Maid of the Mist vessels will be powered entirely by high-capacity battery packs, becoming the first all-electric vessels ever built in the United States and allowing visitors to experience the falls undisturbed by engine noise, vibration or exhaust fumes.

“We are thrilled to be the USA’s first vessel owner to add all-electric ferries to our fleet,” said Christopher M Glynn, president of Maid of the Mist Corp. “We have chosen ABB to support us in our journey towards more sustainable operation based on their unparalleled experience in marine system integration, as well as efficient and innovative technologies for sustainable transportation.”

Each of the vessels will be powered by a pair of battery packs with a total capacity of 316kWh, split evenly between two catamaran hulls. The vessels will charge between every trip while passengers disembark and board. Shoreside charging will take seven minutes, allowing the batteries to power the electric propulsion motors capable of a total 400kW output.

The batteries will be charged using hydropower – the largest single renewable energy source for electricity generation in the US, which accounts for 7% of the country’s total utility-scale electricity generation.

In addition to integrating the ship-to-shore battery charging connection, ABB will supply the Maid of the Mist newbuilding project with switchboards, drives and the integrated control system, as well as the ABB Ability Marine Remote Diagnostic System for remote equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance.