Battery and Charging Infrastructure Sizing Method Applied to the Norwegian Coastal Express

We present a parametrised charging infrastructure model developed to support the design of a hybrid electric zero-emission vessel with corresponding charging infrastructure for operation along the Norwegian Coastal Express route. The charging model includes functionalities to analyse the required battery storage capacity and power ratings and locations of charging facilities for achieving battery-electric operation. We demonstrate the use of the charging model to analyse different zero-emission scenarios for the Norwegian Coastal Express route. In the presented example scenarios, the model takes as input the estimated energy demand for a new zero-emission vessel design for the Coastal Express in different weather conditions, and includes functionality to consider realistic port stays based on existing timetables and historical data of delays. The analyses show minimal required battery capacities and illustrate a trade-off between charging power and battery capacity, as well as exemplifying the impact of different timetables and historic deviations on charging and energy delivered from the battery. The charging model presented is general and can be used for other routes than the Norwegian Coastal Express, as a tool for decision-makers to optimize for battery-electric operation whilst keeping the need for onboard storage capacity and charging infrastructure installations at a minimum.