Photo: Crowley Maritime
When it comes to decarbonizing maritime transportation, the public's interest is geared more toward spectacular yachts, ferries, and cruise ships with innovative zero-emission features. Tugboats seem less interesting by comparison. Still, the less-flashier tankers, containers, and tugboats will be the ones with a real impact on the industry. The trailblazing eWolf all-electric tugboat is getting ready to make San Diego its home.
Charging stations are gradually becoming a common sight in urban areas and are not limited to on-road vehicles. In the not-so-distant future, we'll be seeing them in airports, where they are used to power eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) and in ports for the efficient operations of battery-electric alternatives to classic types of vessels, from ferries to tugboats.
One of these pioneering charging stations in America's maritime industry will soon make its debut in San Diego Bay. Port of San Diego and Crowley Maritime together broke ground for a microgrid charging facility. Its main job will be to supply clean energy to eWolf. This is the name of a tugboat running entirely on electricity and claiming to be the first of its kind in the US.
The future charging station will feature two energy storage systems, an advanced battery monitoring system, plus HVAC, firefighting, and detection technology. Each storage container will boast battery modules with a capacity of nearly 1,5 MWh, resulting in a total storage capacity of almost 3,000 kW.
As a shoreside charging station, this facility will help electric vessels operate as efficiently as possible by providing fast charging while also supporting sustainability by reducing the pressure on the local energy grid. It will operate on the community's energy grid only during off-peak hours so that it can effectively lower peak loads. A solar power array will help provide clean energy that's also sustainable.
At the same time, the future charging station in the Port of San Diego won't be limited to e-tugs. It will also supply clean energy for electric equipment and vehicle operations in the port when needed.
This is history in the making. We're talking about an industry-first achievement and a future vessel that will become the first all-electric tugboat in the US.
Crowley introduced the eWolf concept two years ago. It was presented as an 82-foot (25-meter) vessel with 70 tons of bollard pull. Instead of a conventional propulsion system, it would boast a fully-integrated ABB electrical system with two 2,100 kW motors, a thruster, and a 6.2 MWh main battery.
The eWolf was designed to replace old-generation tugs that burn more than 30,000 gallons (113,560 liters) of diesel every year. It promises to reduce 3,100 metric tons of CO2, 178 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), and 2.5 tons of diesel particulate matter in ten years.
The eWolf is still under construction, while Port of San Diego is getting ready to become its home and pave the way for clean tugboat operations.
One of these pioneering charging stations in America's maritime industry will soon make its debut in San Diego Bay. Port of San Diego and Crowley Maritime together broke ground for a microgrid charging facility. Its main job will be to supply clean energy to eWolf. This is the name of a tugboat running entirely on electricity and claiming to be the first of its kind in the US.
The future charging station will feature two energy storage systems, an advanced battery monitoring system, plus HVAC, firefighting, and detection technology. Each storage container will boast battery modules with a capacity of nearly 1,5 MWh, resulting in a total storage capacity of almost 3,000 kW.
As a shoreside charging station, this facility will help electric vessels operate as efficiently as possible by providing fast charging while also supporting sustainability by reducing the pressure on the local energy grid. It will operate on the community's energy grid only during off-peak hours so that it can effectively lower peak loads. A solar power array will help provide clean energy that's also sustainable.
At the same time, the future charging station in the Port of San Diego won't be limited to e-tugs. It will also supply clean energy for electric equipment and vehicle operations in the port when needed.
This is history in the making. We're talking about an industry-first achievement and a future vessel that will become the first all-electric tugboat in the US.
Crowley introduced the eWolf concept two years ago. It was presented as an 82-foot (25-meter) vessel with 70 tons of bollard pull. Instead of a conventional propulsion system, it would boast a fully-integrated ABB electrical system with two 2,100 kW motors, a thruster, and a 6.2 MWh main battery.
The eWolf was designed to replace old-generation tugs that burn more than 30,000 gallons (113,560 liters) of diesel every year. It promises to reduce 3,100 metric tons of CO2, 178 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), and 2.5 tons of diesel particulate matter in ten years.
The eWolf is still under construction, while Port of San Diego is getting ready to become its home and pave the way for clean tugboat operations.
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