Lithium battery propulsion partnership

The frame cooperation agreement, signed at Marintec, will see ABS and CATL jointly carry out the research on the technical standards for battery-powered vessels, including technologies such as the propulsion system, charging system, power battery compartment layout and fire control.

“Vehicle designs have taken advantage of new battery technologies such as lithium batteries originally developed for the telecommunications industry with considerable success,” commented Dr Xiaozhi (Christina) Wang, ABS vice president, Global Marine.

“Battery technology can certainly contribute to fuel savings and therefore GHG emissions reduction in a number of ways which make this an exciting area for practical research,” she added.

The project also covers research into the technical standards of lithium batteries, including various material properties and combustion mechanisms as well as the performance of safety systems, such as monitoring and early warning of thermal diffusion. The work will also support revision of the classification of lithium battery inspection guidelines and help inform the standard system for lithium batteries for ships.

“The Li-Ion battery technology of CATL is already being applied to electric passenger vehicles, buses, electric trucks and a range of other vehicles,” said Qu Tao, assistant to the chairman of CATL.

“We look forward to working with ABS to expand this technology to vessels and realising our shared vision of a more sustainable society in the near future,” he added.