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Uber Boat to launch UK’s first hybrid passenger ferry in Autumn 2022

Posted: 28 January 2022 | | No comments yet

Uber Boat by Thames Clippers’ hybrid boats will not be reliant on shore-based charging, as excess power from the bio-fuelled engines will be used to re-charge their batteries.

Uber Boat to launch UK’s first hybrid passenger ferry in autumn 2022

Credit: Uber Boat

Uber Boat by Thames Clippers has announced that it is building the UK’s first hybrid high-speed passenger ferries, set to launch in Autumn 2022 and Spring 2023. The two new vessels, being built at Wight Shipyard on the Isle of Wight, take strides in improving the sustainability credentials of the business, as well as propelling the wider marine sector.

The hybrid design will allow the new vessels to operate solely on battery power while transporting commuters and sightseers through the capital – throughout the Central Zone, between Tower and Battersea Power Station piers – and recharge while using bio-fuelled power outside of central London.

Furthermore, the technology is not reliant on shore-based charging, as the new boats will use excess power from the bio-fuelled engines to re-charge their batteries for the central London stretch.

As well as being the city’s most eco-friendly passenger boats, these will be Uber Boat by Thames Clippers’ quietest vessels, which can be made even greener as and when technology allows.

“After the challenges of the last two years that COVID-19 has set upon businesses, in particular in the transport sector, I’m extremely excited to be increasing our capacity to meet the demands of our customers and partners,” said Sean Collins, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers’ Co-Founder and CEO. “This development in technology has enabled us to take the first major steps to meet our future environmental vision.”

“For over 20 years, we have been at the forefront of innovation for the river marine sector. We are committed to supporting the sustainable growth, infrastructure and economic development on and around the river to endorse the river’s importance to London as a form of transport,” he added.

Collins concluded: “We’re looking ahead with this hybrid design, ensuring easy conversion to green hydrogen or another renewable energy source – something we’re also focusing heavily on with the new projects that we’re undertaking thanks to recent [Department for Transport] (DfT) funding. It is the next step in our strategy to net zero and, ultimately, tailpipe zero.”

Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is committed to achieving net zero with all new builds by 2025 and, for its wider fleet, infrastructure and environmental footprint by 2040.

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