KOCHI: The first battery-powered electric boat for the `747 crore Water Metro project will be delivered by Cochin Shipyard on Friday. Built by Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), the boat can accommodate 100 passengers at a time.
This will be the first of the 23 boats which will be built by the CSL for the Water Metro project. “Five more boats are under construction and will be handed over to KMRL in a couple of months. The date for launch of commercial services will be announced soon,” said an officer with the Kochi Water Metro Ltd.
The construction of Water Metro terminals is also progressing. Vyttila and Kakkanad terminals are almost ready and dredging has been completed. Installation of Floating Pontoon is also in the final stage. Vypeen, High Court, Eloor, Cheranalloor and Chittoor terminals will be ready by April 2022.
Under the project, being implemented with the support of the German Development Bank, KfW, a total of 23 boats with a carrying capacity of 100 passengers and 55 with a capacity of 50 passengers will be rolled out over 76-km route in Kochi backwaters. A total of 38 jetties will be modernised.
It is the first time in the world a centrally-controlled integrated water transport system with a large fleet is powered by battery. Water Metro boats use LTO batteries, which is the latest in battery technology and the safest battery industrially available with a capability for fast charging. The battery can be charged in 10 to 15 minutes.