By
Laura Hyde |
Zinus and METS Technology are to install a fully autonomous charging tower in Finnsbo, Sweden, to provide charging facilities for road ferries operated by Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration.
The charging tower will provide power to vessels operating on the road ferry route between Finnsbo and Skår near Lysekil in southern Sweden. Once installed, the tower will eliminate the need for crew to carry out manual mooring and connection. Ferries will be able to charge at up to three megawatts while connected, which is equivalent to the capacity of 12 fast chargers for cars.
Norway-based Zinus will supply a charging cable management system for the charging tower. The system has been designed to automatically position itself according to the ferry’s location, engaging the charging connector in a fully automated process.
METS Technology will undertake the design and building of the charging tower, which is expected to be operational by the autumn of 2026.
“We have been working closely with METS to provide the best solution for the ferry operator, Trafikverket, and we are very pleased that our system for autonomous connection for charging was selected as the preferred system,” said Ronny Olson, sales manager at Zinus.
Trafikverket is currently electrifying a number of its ferries as part of their Vision 45 plan for a climate-neutral ferry service by 2045. It is hoped this charging tower will make a significant contribution to this goal.
“Sweden is a market of growing interest to Zinus, and we look forward to enable efficient autonomous charging to a growing number of ferry stretches,” said Endre Eidsvik, CEO of Zinus. “Also, what is particularly nice with this project, is that it includes our new solution for a multi-axial connection that will ensure to-the-point connection at any given tidal range in addition to a larger longitudinal docking range. There is an increasing demand for this system which has been offered to several projects already, but Trafikverket will be the first to take advantage of the innovation.”