Danish Electric Ferry Completes World-record 90km

June 20, 2022

An electric ferry that connects the islands of Ærø and Als in Southern Denmark has this month broken the record for the longest distance travelled on a single electric charge, its makers have today claimed.

Danish engineering giant Danfoss announced this morning that Ellen, an e-ferry that makes multiple daily trips from the town of Sønderborg on Als, broke a world record when it sailed 50 nautical miles, or 92 kilometres, without recharging.

The journey in question, which was undertaken on 9 June as more than 30 energy ministers convened in Sønderborg for the International Energy Agency's (IEA) conference on energy efficiency, was more than twice the distance of the 40-kilometre trip the e-ferry normally takes between charges.

"The 92-kilometre trip on a single battery charge is the longest planned distance for an electric ferry able to carry both passengers and vehicles to date anywhere on the globe," said Henrik Hagbarth Mikkelsen, a senior lecturer at the Marstal Naval Academy in Denmark who was involved in the  developing Ellen's technical design. "We are talking about a clear record."

Ellen does not emit carbon dioxide and operates at 24 per cent lower cost than a new diesel ferry, according to Danfoss.

Danfoss, which made a number of the components of the e-ferry and hosted the IEA's energy efficiency conference, said it would be submitting the journey to Guiness World of Records.