Electrifying Inland Waterway Transport in Germany

Battery electric propulsion represents a highly promising avenue for the decarbonization of inland waterway transport. This presentation thus examines the potential for electrifying IWW vessels using their operational profile derived from Automatic Identification System (AIS) data.The findings suggest that battery-electric and hybrid propulsion systems in particular already offer significant potential for reducing direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from inland waterway vessels. The necessary charging powers typically fall within the range of 100 to 200 kW, which would allow for intermodal charging stations. It may also be feasible to implement fully electric propulsion systems for a proportion of the inland waterway fleet. In particular, small passenger vessels such as ferries exhibit considerable potential in this respect.