Demonstration of battery energy storage systems in existing and new vessels via novel energy storage and ship design concepts (ZEWT Partnership)

• Demonstrated ≥40 % increase in fully electric long-distance autonomy for seagoing (>400 GT) or inland (>86 m) vessels using batteries as the primary energy source;

• Innovative energy storage, efficiency or rapid in-route charging solutions ready for practical deployment;

• Proposed measures enhancing island-mainland connectivity and driving modal shift of cargo from road to inland waterways;

• Improved battery lifetime and safe operation under waterborne transport conditions;

• Strengthened competitiveness and strategic autonomy of the EU waterborne sector, enabling shipyards and equipment manufacturers to gain a competitive advantage through cost-effective, high-energy-density storage and battery-electric vessel solutions.

Proposals must:

• Select one demonstration area:
– Area A: Seagoing vessel >400 GT
– Area B: Inland river vessel >86 m

• Demonstrate ≥40 % increase in fully electric operating range vs a 2024 all-electric baseline, achieving ≥120 NM (222 km inland-equivalent) under representative sea states (A) or river flows (B); baseline range, target range and test conditions must be clearly reported;

• Go beyond scaling existing systems by proposing one or more of:
– New high-energy-density storage concepts
– Advanced energy efficiency (thermal management, electrical architecture, weather routing, renewables, hydrodynamics)
– Battery life-extension architectures with onboard monitoring and analytics
– Rapid charging/replenishment concepts adhering to in-development IEC/IEEE standards (liaise with TC) or other intermittent transfer methods;

• Develop safety assessment guidelines/recommendations based on field tests, building on EMSA and CESNI frameworks, and address regulatory and fire-safety requirements;

• Conduct at least two replication studies under emulated conditions, demonstrating applicability and conditions for 40 % range extension, and outline future extension potential;

• Provide an exploitation and dissemination plan with business cases, market uptake roadmap (including Innovation Fund and CEF AFIF bunkering), scalability and deployment strategies;

• Develop training/upskilling material in collaboration with recognized training providers/universities;

• Demonstrate how project objectives, IP management and exploitation contribute to EU added value, competitiveness, strategic autonomy, R&I capacity, technological know-how and human capital, prioritising EU/EEA shipyards and equipment suppliers where possible;

• Where relevant, employ big data/data science to validate ship performance, environmental impacts and maintenance needs;

• Report on KPIs to the ZEWT Partnership.