Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is building the UK’s first hybrid high speed passenger ferries, set to launch in autumn 2022 and spring 2023. Leading the way in passenger boat design, the two new vessels, being built at Wight Shipyard Co on the Isle of Wight, take strides in improving the sustainability credentials of the business as well as propelling the wider marine sector.

The hybrid design will allow the new vessels to operate solely on battery power while transporting commuters and sightseers through the Capital – throughout the Central Zone, between Tower and Battersea Power Station piers – and recharge while using biofuelled power outside of central London. The technology is not reliant on shore-based charging; the new boats will use excess power from the biofuelled engines to re-charge their batteries for the central London stretch.

This announcement comes on the heels of Uber Boat by Thames Clippers’ hire of a new health, safety, environment & quality (HSQE) manager in Gilmark D Mello, and work is underway on three green marine feasibility projects funded by the DfT (Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom); the outcomes of which are due in spring 2022 and should further help inform the business on their route to net zero. It’s also supported by findings from the EU Horizon 2020 TrAM project to develop fully electric, zero emission, high speed passenger ferries, a project in which Uber Boat by Thames is involved and has influenced the specification of the new vessels for London.

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