Electrifying Water Buses: A Case Study on Diesel-to-Electric Conversion in Venice

The study presented here regards the conversion of a diesel-based watercraft for public transportation in Venice to an electric propulsion technology, with a view to wide future adoption. The study takes into account energy storage systems, electrical machines, and drives, and examines them in the light of economic, environmental and social issues. Some alternative solutions based on hybrid diesel-electric and full-electric powertrains are compared in terms of weights, costs and payback times. The comparison shows that a hybrid diesel engine–lithium battery is the best option for an easy first implementation, also considering the existing infrastructure. The study benefits from previous research on ship propulsion and energy storage systems carried out at the University of Padua, as well as from preliminary experiments on electric boats developed in the Venice lagoon by the municipal transportation company ACTV and other stakeholders. The results presented here can be transferred to other ships used in Venice, such as water taxis and waste-collection boats, and can also offer suggestions for planning electric water mobility in other environments such as the canals of the Netherlands.