The river boats of London are an enigmatic experience for those wishing to view the ancient architecture from the water. However, they too must now begin to shed their noisy internal combustion engines. For nothing may escape the City’s desire to be completely green. A new generation of hybrid battery river boats is taking to the water there. And they are whisper-quiet as they glide past the historic buildings.
For Now the Battery River Boats Remain a Compromise
There’s not much space for storage batteries on a traditional London river boat. Website Ian Visits, which provides an information service to travelers explains the situation as follows:
- The vessels have minimal drafts so they can navigate the shallow waters at low tide.
- But, they also have little headroom so they can pass beneath bridges at high tide too.
Batteries as we know them can only pack so much energy per cubic inch of casing. This means there is insufficient space for them to be the sole source of energy on these new battery river boats. Which is why the vessels must remain hybrid for now.
Boat Design Stretches Battery Range Further
Those batteries need every ounce of help they can get to complete the inner-city journey without over-taxing them. Accordingly, the new generation of 130-feet-long battery river boats weigh less than their traditional counterparts, but have additional space for batteries.
But the most noticeable difference of all is the sound of silence, broken only by the whirring of the cooling fans. Engines running on hydrotreated vegetable oil take over beyond City limits, and recharge the batteries as they do. There are also electric fast-charging stations at selected piers where required.
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