Electrifying inland waterway transport – a case study for Germany

Battery electric propulsion represents a highly promising avenue for the decarbonization of inland waterway (IWW) transport. This paper thus examines the potential for electrifying IWW vessels using their operational profile derived from Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. Therefore, a model is developed to derive the energy demands and operational profiles of IWW vessels, which is then used to quantify the potential for battery electric propulsion systems without any adjustments to the vessels’ operational profile, thereby ensuring the continued economic operation of the vessels. Moreover, a linear programming model is developed with the objective of minimizing charger power, and its technical feasibility is evaluated. The findings indicate that hybrid battery electric systems can supply between 35% and 70% of the propulsion energy in the majority of vessels. The necessary charging powers typically fall within the range of 100 to 200 kW. It may also be feasible to implement a fully electric propulsion system for a proportion of the IWW fleet. In particular, small passenger vessels such as ferries exhibit considerable potential in this respect, with median battery sizes of 731 kWh and requisite charging powers of under 100 kW.