BATTERY LIFE PROJECT
Maritime Battery Life is about enhancing the operational life of batteries in electric ferries. This is achieved by advanced cycling and aging tests on battery packs coming from the prototype E-ferry Ellen.
The EU funded Ellen has battery cells originating back from 2018. Ellen has held the world record for travelling distance of pure electric ferries for many years. Her batteries have seen heavy duty cycling from morning to evening. Degradation is not distributed evenly between battery modules. Thus, lifetime extension strategies are urgently needed, closing in on the first decade of operation.
The Battery Life project is finding ways to upcycle some of best cells as spares for the ferry operator, Ærøfærgerne, to repair battery modules in the vessel. For this new hardware and software tools are being developed with focus on use when ferry is in operation and involvement of ferry's maintenance crew in the process to bring down cost and optimize performance.
Project also identifies medium degraded cells from battery modules which are deemed to be at too low State of Health (SoH) to stay in the vessel. These medium degraded cells are upcycled and preparred locally for second-life applications and reuse in onshore containers, e.g. balancing the grid at ferry operators' charging stations.
This way Battery Life project in phase one has already identified and proved strategies for repair and lifetime extension of single battery modules in an electric ferry. In phase two result and methods must be scaled to cope with the increasing volume of aging batteries from the ferry and in the maritime industry in general.
The upcycling is performed locally with a philosophy of devolping safe but simple procedures and mobile equipment for testing and cycling. The local approach increases sustainability and lowers costs, removing the need for long distance transport of battery materials which are normally classified as dangerous goods with risk of environmental hazards.
Research partnership however, is based on both a local and international approach. Project partners are collaborating closely with battery supplier from Switzerland, university and technology experts from SDU and DTI and last but not least the ferry operator, local companies and the educational center at Marstal Navigationsskole for battery operation in ships.
Phase One (feasibility study battery management)
Work Package 1
Battery cycling tests of used cells under laboratory conditions will provide feasibility study for improved Joint State estimations. Better State of Health understanding will improve safety margins. The research forms the basis for development of new hardware and software tools for battery life extension.
Phase One (feasibility study battery refurbishment)
Work Package 2
Feasibility study to develop local facilities and competences for battery cell analysis, module refurbishment and second-life approval procedures. Philosophy for safe and simple mobile test and cycling procedures and workshop facilities are tested on single modules from ferry.
Phase Two (Facilities and scalability)
Work Package 3
Installation of refurbished and upcycled battery modules in onshore prototype Energy Storage System. Certification procedures and test of auxiliary services to grid in collaboration with partners and new local energy community on Ærø. Scaling of testing and cycling for repair of spare modules for use in ferry to cope with increasing volume of aging batteries
Phase Two (Dissemination)
Work Package 4
Best practice principles adaption for battery ferry operators. Education of crew and maintenance personnel. Dissemination via scientific articles, conferences, courses and network activities. In 2024 Smart Power Conversion conference, Maritimt Forskningsforum (Danish researh forum) and Royal visit at E-ferry Ellen. In 2025 annual meeting in Færgesekretariatet (Danish local ferries), Maritimt Forsknings- og Udviklingstopmøde (with all Danish maritime educational institutions) and membership of DaCES battery group.
Battery ferries on the rise
More than a dozen new battery ferries are being designed right now, just to serve local neighboring routes in Southern Denmark.
Within a decade a vast amount of used batteries could become a sustainability issue if not dealt with in a timely manner.
Enhancing the operational lifetime of the battery cells, and doing it locally, will better compensate the environmental impact from cell production and mining of raw materials..
If successful, the Battery Life project will repay early adopters for some of the challenges they have faced, pioneering the way of using batteries at sea, by improving economic lifetime of their procured battery cells.
At the same time future battery ferries will benefit from the knowledge gained from these early adopters – like the Ellen ferry
Impact on battery cycle life
DTI and SDU
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By testing and modelling SDU and DTI will provide improved joint state estimations and SOH for enhancing battery life onboard the E-ferry.
Battery cells will not age evenly inside battery modules. Small initial differences will grow, especially in tough applications like ferry operation. When differences after many years can no longer be balanced out in operation, then battery modules need to be refurbished.
Identifying rougue or poor cells and monitoring thousands of battery cells on a continous basis becomes increasing important when cells are aging. For this task new hardware and software tools are being devolped based on the research done by the technology partners.
Feasibility of a "second-life" in shorebased application
Ærøfærgerne, Ærø Kommune, Marstal Navigationsskole and Ærø Borgerenergifællesskab
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Battery cells from different modules can be redistributed to obtain a better match in refurbished modules and best modules will go back into the ferry as spare modules. Others will have a second-life elsewhere in shore-based applications.
In this case study shore-based battery system will be tested providing auxiliary service to local grid balancing and boosting ferry charging.
The local approach and collaboration between ferry operator, Municipality of Ærø, local companies, like Søby Skibselektro, players in grid, like the local energy community of Ærø and finally the provider of local competences in battery operation at Marstal Navigationsskole will ensure increased sustainability of battery operation and lower costs enhancing operational lifetime on Ærø of procurred batteries in total.
Project Plan and status
Battery Life phase one has been fully funded and Work Pakages 1 and 2 are progressing as planned.
Battery Life phase two and Work Packages 3 and 4 have been partly initiated according to project plan.
Invasive module test and capacity test of cells are being performed right now by the SDU and DTI.
DTI is developing improved tools and procedures for calibration and SOH estimations.
A number of battery modules have been disassembled by Søby Skibselektro and Ærøfærgerne based on results coming from SDU investigations.
Dissemination of initial results of battery and cell testing at SDU will be published soon in scientific article and at conferences.
Test facilities and mobile test and cycling equipment in Søby and Marstal on Ærø are also progressing according to plan with DTI, SDU, Leclanché, Marstal Navigationsskole, Ærøfærgerne and Ærø Borgerenergifællesskab as the drivers.
Battery Life Project partners phase one
In-kind associated partners for phase one
