Photo: KOTUG
Developing proper charging stations for battery-electric vessels along important international commercial routes is one of the most important steps for transitioning to zero-emission shipping. One of the newest projects that demonstrate this is a solution that combines the capabilities of an electric ship with the performance of swappable battery packs and charging stations.
Here’s a fun fact – the Port of Amsterdam is the largest cocoa import port in the world. This also means that advancing electric transportation in this area would have a huge impact on all of the industries involved. And this is where Cargill will become the first company to use the new E-Pusher M together with Shift Clean Energy’s battery containers and charging stations for carbon-neutral barging of cocoa beans.
As their name suggests, pushers are boats that can push large barges or oil rigs, and KOTUG has developed pioneering ones that are equipped with batteries. The modular platform comes in three sizes: for transportation in cities, over short distances, or on inland waterways. The smaller E-Pusher S is already operating in a few cities, and the E-Pusher M, capable of pushing barges with up to 4,000 tons of cargo, is about to start operating between the Port of Amsterdam and Zaandam, where Cargill’s cocoa facilities are located.
The fully-electric E-Pusher is equipped with Shift’s swappable energy container that can be charged at one of the battery hubs in just a few minutes or at night, using the energy surplus in the grid. Shift’s batteries range from 70kWH to 6MWh, and they are charged through clean power, using renewable sources such as biogas and hydrogen, onboard the vessels or at the charging stations. According to Shift, the placement of these stations along the wide Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp route can eliminate the range anxiety for future e-vessels, which is an important factor in getting more electric vehicles at sea.
The launch of the E-Pusher M is also an important development for the Port of Amsterdam, which aims to become climate-neutral in the near future.
As their name suggests, pushers are boats that can push large barges or oil rigs, and KOTUG has developed pioneering ones that are equipped with batteries. The modular platform comes in three sizes: for transportation in cities, over short distances, or on inland waterways. The smaller E-Pusher S is already operating in a few cities, and the E-Pusher M, capable of pushing barges with up to 4,000 tons of cargo, is about to start operating between the Port of Amsterdam and Zaandam, where Cargill’s cocoa facilities are located.
The fully-electric E-Pusher is equipped with Shift’s swappable energy container that can be charged at one of the battery hubs in just a few minutes or at night, using the energy surplus in the grid. Shift’s batteries range from 70kWH to 6MWh, and they are charged through clean power, using renewable sources such as biogas and hydrogen, onboard the vessels or at the charging stations. According to Shift, the placement of these stations along the wide Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp route can eliminate the range anxiety for future e-vessels, which is an important factor in getting more electric vehicles at sea.
The launch of the E-Pusher M is also an important development for the Port of Amsterdam, which aims to become climate-neutral in the near future.
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