Japan's first hybrid cargo ship equipped with lithium-ion batteries can sail up to about 6 hours on batteries alone

The electrification of ships is opening up new application space for the application of lithium batteries

It was learned that the NS united domestic shipping company under the Nippon Steel u0026 Sumitomo Metal Group on March 4 Japan unveiled Japan’s first hybrid cargo ship equipped with lithium-ion batteries in Tokyo. It can sail for about 6 hours at most with battery alone.

The domestic cargo ship 'Utashima' (499-ton class) completed on February 27, with a total length of 76.19 meters and a width of 12.00 meters, will be used to transport the new day. Iron and gold steel. The ship is equipped with 2,828 battery packs composed of 24 Toshiba lithium batteries, which is equivalent to the battery capacity of about 2,700 ordinary hybrid vehicles (HV).

The battery can be charged when sailing with a diesel engine, and the fast charging equipment when parked will also be improved. If the battery provides electricity to the electric motor and drives the propeller to sail, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are almost zero.

Although the shipbuilding cost is close to twice the original, the fuel consumption is expected to be reduced by 20 to 30%. By reducing the operation of the diesel engine, the time to keep the ship quiet can be increased, and it is convenient for the crew to rest. The managing director of NS United Domestic Shipping, Wada Kotaro said, 'This will promote the reform of working methods.'

The ship owner of Utashima is Mukoshima Dock Company (Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture), manufactured by Koike Shipbuilding and Shipping Company (Osaki Ueshima Town, Hiroshima Prefecture), and NS unites with domestic shipping Responsible for shipping.

In China, the electrification of ships has also begun to enter the application stage.

At the end of January, the 2000-ton new energy pure electric bulk carrier 'Blowfish' invested and built by Guangzhou Development Group Co., Ltd. was put into use. The ship has a super capacitor + super power lithium battery dual electric management system, which will be mainly used to transport coal.

The 'pufferfish' electric boat has a total length of 70.5 meters, a profile width of 13.9 meters, a profile depth of 4.5 meters, a design draft of 3.4 meters, and a designed cargo capacity of 2,000 tons. With an automated design, 4 people can complete driving control, charging for 2.5 hours, you can run a distance of about 80 kilometers.

In terms of technology, the ship has achieved technological innovation in three areas. The safety of the ship when the lithium battery power system is adopted on a large scale; the second is the use of high-performance lithium batteries and supercapacitor systems as the only power source for the whole ship; the third is a breakthrough in the traditional propeller propulsion method of large inland water transport ships and adopts comprehensive performance A better, more energy-saving and environmentally friendly straight-wing rudder propeller propulsion system.

It was learned that the 'Blowfish' electric boat was invested and developed by Guangzhou Development Ruihua New Energy Electric Boat Co., Ltd., a joint venture established by Guangzhou Development and Shanghai Ruihua (Group) Co., Ltd. Ship International Co., Ltd. is responsible for the construction and is the world's first 1,000-ton pure battery-powered heavy-duty ship.

It is foreseeable that the electrification of ships is opening up new application space for the application of lithium batteries. For the application of lithium batteries in the electrification of ships, please pay attention to follow-up reports.