Battery upgrade for electric ferry

The company will install a 3.2 MWh LTO (lithium-titanate oxide) system on board E/F Ellen to replace the vessel’s original 4.3 MWh NMC batteries, which have shown uneven wear after eight years in service.

“The Echandia solution meets our requirements for long lifetime, high roundtrip efficiency and maximum safety,” said Allan Filtenborg from Ærøfærgerne.

Echandia’s LTO technology is designed for high-frequency ferry routes that rely on multiple fast-charging cycles each day. The batteries support very high C-rates, enabling more than 20,000 cycles and charging in about 25 minutes, around 10 minutes faster per session than the system being replaced. The setup is built for a 15-year lifetime.

Delivered in 2019, Ellen became the world’s first long-range, fully electric RoPax ferry and a flagship for zero-emission transport. The vessel connects the island of Ærø with the Danish mainland and is considered a key case study in maritime electrification.

“This project demonstrates Echandia’s knowledge and other capabilities as an established marine supplier,” said Torbjörn Bäck, chief executive at Echandia. “We will deliver and commission an optimised complete battery system within six months, making sure the vessel is ready for summer operations 2026.”