European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program will fund Current Direct, a new research and innovation project aiming to halve the cost of today’s marine battery electric drivetrains.
As Current Direct explains by cutting the cost of today’s marine battery electric drivetrains in half and relieving ship owners of the burden of capital expense, greenhouse emissions could be cut 482.000 MT of CO2 equivalents per year.
More specifically, Current Direct’s Service platform aim to enable ship owners to accelerate their participation in the shift to clean energy while creating new business opportunities for shipyards and local entrepreneurs.
By changing the model for acquiring and storing energy aboard vessels, Current Direct will create a new energy economy, adding thousands of new jobs
The project is being coordinated by Vrije Universiteit Brussels, along with 12 partners from nine European countries. It will also include multiple technologies, such as the development of new composite materials and 3D printed cell manufacturing processes.
The project will culminate in a demonstration of the Current Direct battery, shore charging, and asset management platform by Kotug in Rotterdam.
