While the whole world continues to say goodbye to fossil fuels, this change is not only happening on land. While many firsts have been achieved in this regard at sea up to now, another news has come from Japan that joins these firsts. Aiming to reach zero emissions by 2050, Japan announced that it will launch the world’s first electric tanker.
The tanker, which will meet the sea with the name Asahi Tanker, will be responsible for refueling other ships at sea. Despite the odd contradiction of being a carbon fuel tanker that prides itself on not emitting carbon into the air, the tanker will be an important step for the future. So, what other features will the tanker, which will get its power from the electric motor, have?
100 kilometers range, 1 million liters fuel capacity
The tanker will be 62 meters long and will have a total of 3,480 kWh, that is, 100 times more than today’s electric vehicles. It will work with lithium-ion batteries that will produce more power. These batteries will provide the tanker with a range of approximately 100 kilometers while cruising at 10 knots per hour. The tanker will be able to carry 1 million liters of ship fuel.
The vessel will be charged by Tokyo Electric Power from the charging point built in Kawasaki’s main industrial area. The cost of producing electric tankers will naturally be higher than standard tankers. Standard tankers will cost 750 million yen (about $6 million) and 1.2 billion yen (about $9.3 million) for Asahi Tanker.