The use of inland waterways for commercial purposes is seen as a key factor in reducing road traffic congestion and pollutant emissions in the transport sector. The objective of this study performed by EIFER was to develop an approach for the feasibility analysis of the implementation of fuel cell based propulsion systems on board inland navigation vessels and to analyse the potential and limitations of these applications. A model, which allows to estimate and compare the weight, volume and total cost of ownership of different propulsion systems has been developed.
The propulsion systems considered in this report are as follows:
- Electric engine powered by a battery system
- Electric engine powered by a fuel cell system
- Electric engine powered by a hybrid power supply (Fuel Cell+Battery)
- Internal combustion engine fuelled by Diesel
- Internal combustion engine fuelled by LNG
The study is available in our download section.
