Corvus Energy to supply 40 MWh of Dolphin NxtGen batteries for BC Ferries’ Summit Class ships

British Columbia Ferry Services (BC Ferries) has selected Corvus Energy to supply the battery systems for four new hybrid-electric passenger and car ferries, part of the operator’s new Summit Class. Corvus will deliver 40 MWh of installed capacity, or 10 MWh per vessel, which it says places the ships among the highest-capacity battery-powered ferries in the world.

Corvus will also supply battery interface bases and pack control systems sized for an additional 60 MWh per vessel, taking each ship to a potential 70 MWh. The company says that added capacity will let the ferries sail nearly emission-free for up to two hours, and that installing it won’t require major structural modifications.

The ferries will use the Corvus Dolphin NxtGen Power system, which features liquid-cooled power cells, improved energy density and an enhanced safety architecture.

BC Ferries points to Corvus’s experience with large-scale marine battery installations, its operational presence in British Columbia and its work powering the operator’s existing Island Class ferries as the basis for the selection.

“We are extra proud that these batteries have been developed at our Product Development Hub in Vancouver, BC,” said Fredrik Witte, CEO of Corvus Energy.

The four vessels, part of BC Ferries’ New Major Vessels program, are named Summit Arbutus, Summit Cedar, Summit Maple and Summit Spruce. Each double-ended ferry will carry up to 360 vehicles and 2,100 passengers and crew.

Designed in collaboration with LMG Marin, the ships will use diesel-battery hybrid propulsion that is also compatible with biofuel or renewable diesel. Corvus says the architecture supports a later transition to near-zero-emission, all-electric operation once shore charging infrastructure is in place.

The first vessel is scheduled for delivery by 2029 from China Merchants Shipbuilding Industry Group Weihai Shipyard, and all four are due to enter service by 2031.

“When the new Summit Class vessels begin to arrive in 2029, we will be adding more capacity and building better reliability into the way we do business,” said Ed Hooper, BC Ferries’ Head of Fleet Renewal.

Source: Corvus Energy