First 100% electric charter fleet from Greenline Yachts
Greenline Yachts has partnered with Canal Boats Telemark AS in Norway, W-Yachts and Torqeedo to create the first 100% electric charter fleet in the world.
Canal Boats Telemark will operate six new Greenlines – two 33s and four 39s – all fitted with the shipyard’s EDrive system, which was launched at Boot Düsseldorf in 2019.
A bank of lithium batteries and electric motors allow the Greenline 33 and 39 to cruise silently and, it’s said, without any emissions at a speed of seven knots and to a top speed of 11 knots. With battery capacity of 80kWh, the cabin cruisers have a range of up to 40nm on a single charge.
With Greenline Yachts having launched its first hybrid H Drive model in 2008, Luca Raumland, Head of Sales and Marketing at Greenline Yachts, says: “We are so excited to see the growing demand of alternative propulsion systems that our boats can provide. Since the beginning of 2020 we have built more than 60% of our production with either electric or hybrid propulsion and the forecast for 2021 is even higher, which is a positive sign that consumers are opening their minds to more efficient and sustainable ways of powering their boats.”
A grant from Enova SF, a subsidiary of the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, will fund a network of charging points specifically designed for electric boats on the Norwegian Telemark Canal and surrounding coastline.
“With the establishment of Canal Boats Telemark and a charging infrastructure, we’re hoping that more people will be able to buy a boat that receives energy from renewable energy,” says Nora Sjögren Johre, CEO of Canal Boats Telemark. “We also believe that the Telemark Canal and the Telemark coastline will become one of the main green destinations in Norway.”
The Canal Boats Telemark website will be open for booking from December 2020, with the rental season beginning in May 2021.
