Swedish ferry retrofit: Circularity in action

By transforming existing vessels with electric hybrid technology, this initiative extends the life cycle of transportation assets—an example of circularity in action.

One of the ferries, Älv-Snabben 5, was converted to electric hybrid operations last year. For a few trips per day, the vessel can run on electricity alone. Once the batteries are empty, it continues on diesel power, generated by brand new, efficient engines.

“This is a really good example of how we can electrify and be circular,” says Magnus Wikstrom, CEO of Transdev Sweden. “This means we can use the ships we already have, instead of buying only new ones.”

For now, the ferry’s batteries are charged overnight, but a fast-charging station is planned. This will allow the batteries to be charged between trips, making the diesel option unnecessary.

The retrofit was supported by Klimatklivet, a Swedish government program helping efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is partly financed by the EU’s stimulus package, NextGenerationEU.