In Berlin you can take a solar ferry with a normal public transport ticket. Since 2014 four catamarans called FährBär (“ferry bear”) have been crossing the Spree, the Dahme and the lakes in the south-east of the city on the BVG ferry routes F11, F12, F21 and F23. They replaced old diesel boats.
The ferries were built by the Formstaal shipyard in Stralsund for the shipping company Weiße Flotte. Each catamaran is 18.5 m long and 5.3 m wide, with a draught of only 0.6 m. Two 10 kW electric motors, each driving one propeller, move the boat at a service speed of 7 km/h (12 km/h maximum). A 7 kW bow thruster helps with docking.
The roof carries 52 solar modules with a combined area of about 66 m² and a rated power of 10.6 kW. They charge the batteries during the day; at night the ferries can top up from shore power at their charging stations. A neat detail: instead of ropes, the ferries hold on to steel plates at the piers with permanent magnets.
A single person runs each ferry and also sells and checks tickets. Each boat takes up to 49 passengers with 28 seats, two wheelchair spaces and room for ten bicycles, so a solar ferry ride fits perfectly into an e-bike tour along the Spree.
The same shipyard later built the solar seminar ship Orca ten Broke. Berlin also has the SunCat 120 solar catamaran, and Hamburg has the Alstersonne.
Technical data
| Builder | Formstaal, Stralsund (Germany) |
|---|---|
| Operator | Weiße Flotte Stralsund for BVG Berlin |
| In service | Since 2014 (4 ferries) |
| Size | 18.5 × 5.3 m, draught 0.6 m |
| Solar | 52 modules, ~66 m², 10.6 kW |
| Motors | 2 × 10 kW electric, 7 kW bow thruster |
| Speed | 7 km/h service, 12 km/h max. |
| Capacity | 49 passengers (28 seats), 2 wheelchairs, 10 bikes |
Photos
- Top photo: Andre_de / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 52 solar modules with about 66 m² cover the roof of each fer… Photo: Dr. Karl-Heinz Hochhaus ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
- Inside: 28 seats, room for wheelchairs and up to ten bicycle… Photo: Lukas Beck / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
- FährBär 1 at work on route F11 in Berlin. Photo: Biberbaer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0