Our planet’s first 2,000 metric-ton fully-electric freight ship was launched earlier this month in Guangzhou and the vessel is now operating on the Pearl River.
Manufactured by the Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Ltd., the 70.5-meter cargo boat exemplifies a major breakthrough in technology, being the first to operate completely off a lithium battery, according to a China Daily report.
The vessel can cruise for 80 kilometers on a two-hour charge and boasts battery power of 2,400 kilowatt-hours, roughly equivalent to the ‘oomph’ of “40 new energy cars,” reports China Daily. The ship’s top speed is 12.8 kilometers an hour.
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"As the ship is fully electric powered, it poses no threats to the environment. The technology will soon be likely... used in passenger or engineering ships," Huang Jialin, chairman and general manager of the company that designed the electric cargo vessel, told China Daily.
While the electric vessel releases zero emissions of fossil fuel pollutants, in a slight twist of irony, the boat is being used to haul coal (a notoriously dirty energy source) that will be burnt to produce electricity, which will in turn power lights and electric cars and… 'eco-friendly' cargo ships.
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[Image via China Daily]
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