Since it entered service in 1904, the Föri ferry in the Finnish city of Turku has been upgraded from steam to diesel power, and now to electricity. Finland’s oldest operating ferry has now become the nation’s first all-electric passenger vessel after being fitted with a new electric powertrain from Visedo.

Local boatyard Mobimar performed the upgrade, replacing the boat’s diesel-powered hydraulic motor and control system with a system consisting of two Visedo permanent magnet motor drives and two Visedo DC/DC converters. The new powertrain is 8 tons lighter, and it can run on one or two motors, which improves performance in icy conditions and allows motor maintenance to take place in shifts, without interrupting operation.

“The Föri ferry is a national treasure, but with its old diesel engine, fuel consumption and emissions were high and overall efficiency poor,” said Visedo Project Engineer Heikki Sallinen. “Visedo power brings the 100-year-old vessel into the 21st century without changing its character.”

“We needed a partner who could deliver a new permanent magnet motor and charging technology built for purpose,” said Mobimar Project Manager Antti Immonen. “There was no off-the-shelf solution. We were already impressed by Visedo during a previous collaboration to modernize a Korean Mark V65 submarine. There are now 240,000 passengers who have dived below the Yellow Sea in a submarine with a Visedo-powered system. And we used some of the same components in the Föri.”

Source: Visedo OY