https://plugboats.com/tbt-swedens-original-electric-ferry-still-going/
[images and links in online article]
Sweden’s original electric ferry: Still going!
August 22, 2019 Jeff Butler
In his comprehensive book Electric Boats and Ships: A History (buy on
Amazon) author Kevin Desmond covers almost two centuries of electric
boat developments (in fact 182 years – the first e-boat was invented in
1837!) and provides delightful insights into the craft and creators that
preceded today’s electric era.
Today Sweden is one of the world leaders in electric marine propulsion –
witness Stockholm’s all-electric boat show in May – and their e-boat
history goes back a long way, to at least 1913.
Sweden’s long history of electric boating
From Electric Boats and Ships: A History:
North of Göteborg, Sweden, between 1913 and 1948, the battery-electric
ASEA-engined Hamnfärjan I ferried workers from Marstrand Island to their
shipyard on nearby Koön Island.
It was built for the Marstrands Mekaniska Werkstad ( Marstrand’s
Mechanical Workshop) by August Svenningsson. Svenningsson had no plans
to work from apart from being given the required dimensions. Ferry no.
1, including the electrical cables, was delivered in July 1913 at a cost
of 15,000 Swedish crowns (about 725,000 crowns today); it carried 36
passengers and remained in service until 1960. It was powered by a 5 hp
electric motor and also at first by a 5 hp crude-oil engine since
electric power was cut off at 5 p.m.
Volvo Penta electrifying ferries in 2019
Before we get back to the Hamnfärjan (harbor ferry) we’re going to jump
ahead to 2019. In one of the first public demonstrations of its
commitment to having electric power solutions for boats by 2021, Volvo
Penta announced that they would be working with Göteborg’s ElectriCity
program to retrofit a ferry fully electric propulsion.
Now, we can’t be totally sure that Mr. Svenningsson’s ferry in Marstrand
106 years and 40km / 33mi away was the inspiration for Goteborg’s
interest in electrification, but we can say that the people of Marstrand
had been inspired by their local ferry. Again, from Electric Boats: A
History:
In 1948 the battery-electric Hamnfärjan II took over. It was built in
1948 by Gösta Johansson at Kungsviken on Orust Island. It was more or
less identical to its forerunner. Forty battery cells of 2 volts each
(generating 80 volts in all) drove an ASEA electric engine delivering 8
hp. Popularly known as “the tram,” it would continue the ferry service
until 1985.
When plans were announced that the service would be discontinued,
(having served some 8 million passengers over the years) some citizen
fans got together to form The Friends of the Ferry in Marstrand and work
to keep it alive. It’s also where we found the wonderful photos in this
article.
Friends of the Ferry had her lovingly restored
The Friends volunteered long hours and got generous sponsors on board
(including Volvo Penta) to have The Tram totally refurbished from
1996-1999. In 2013 she was ‘K-Marked’ – given the official designation
from the Norwegian Maritime Museums for vessels deemed to be of
cultural-historical interest.
The electric Hamnfärjan II is still in operation to this day. The
Friends rent it for weddings, graduations, birthdays and other
celebrations as well as for tours of the harbour for conferences and
other events.
It even occasionally fills in for the regular ferry ‘Lasse Maja’ which,
when you think of it, easily makes the beloved Harbor Ferry the
longest-running electric ferry service in the world at 106 years…and
counting!
If you’re interested in renting The Tram for a celebration or if you are
visiting Marstrand, contact the Friends of The Ferry through their website
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