LTO batteries selected for hybrid-electric high-speed ropax ferry

Incat Tasmania has selected Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) batteries for a new high-speed electric-hybrid passenger vehicle ferry under construction at its shipyard in Australia.

Sweden’s Echandia will supply its Echandia Core battery system for the new 78-m hybrid aluminium catamaran, which will have a capacity of 650 passengers and 120 cars.

With a maximum speed of 28 knots, the ropax vessel will be able to operate in fully electric, hybrid, or generator-only modes, allowing operators to run zero-emissions on short crossings and in emission-control zones while extending range across longer routes. Built on speculation, the ropax vessel will be available for bareboat or time charter from January 2027.
Preliminary specifications estimate the vessel will have energy storage of 2,450 kWh, four 2,370-kW e-motors, and four Teignbridge fixed-pitch propellers.

Incat Tasmania chief technical officer, Stewart Wells, said: “The vessel has been conceived as part of a series with flexibility and modularity as a high priority to ensure the vessels can serve many applications over their design life. We need a battery system that can handle both high power demands and frequent charging cycles across different routes. Echandia Core gives us exactly that.”

This is exactly why LTO chemistry was selected for the project. Echandia technical sales head, Felix Backgård, said, “A vessel built with this flexibility in mind needs a battery system that keeps future options open. Because LTO chemistry exhibits minimal degradation over time, capacity can later be expanded without a performance mismatch between old and new modules. Echandia Core is designed for that full lifecycle flexibility.”

Known for their long lifespans, rapid-charging capabilities, safety, and performance in a broad range of temperatures, LTO batteries are increasingly being deployed in passenger vessels where zero emissions and short turnaround times are operational priorities.