The first concept about this boat was made in the year 2017.. Initial plans were for her to set sail for the first time last year, but the pandemic caused by COVID-19 delayed it like many other things in the world. Although it is not the first ship in the world to be built without a crew, yes is the first fully electric that does not need a pilot.
The world’s first autonomous electric boat
It is not a very fast vehicle. Its two 900 kW propulsion systems allow it to reach a speed of about 24 kilometers per hour. It has a huge 7MWh battery that takes a while to fully charge.
Despite this, these different technical specifications make this boat a vehicle beneficial for the environment, since it does not emit harmful substances into the atmosphere. In addition, the use of this vessel replaces what would be equivalent to 40,000 annual truck trips, greatly reducing CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions.
It could also help as well free the presence of trucks on the roads, helping to decongest these and making traffic flow more. However, the reduction of trucks can also lead to a reduction in jobs in this area.
This technology still needs to be improved
Most likely still have to wait a while until we see autonomous cargo vehicles make trips to other countries. There are many problems with this type of vehicle: in the case of maritime vehicles, it would be very difficult to control autonomously a boat that is in a very crowded area where there are more boats parked or circulating, as is the case in different ports in the world.
In fact, each country has different rules for the sea. There is even a question of liability because in the event that an autonomous ship hits, Whose fault is it?
There is no doubt that technology advances and that implies the development of new systems that make the lives of people and companies more comfortable, but without a doubt still you have to optimize everything more and hope that in the future they can begin to see this type of vehicle in a more common way.