Ikerlan leads European project for automated electric ship charging

The Basque technological center Ikerlan has led the HYPOBATT project, a European initiative aimed at developing ultra-fast, automated charging systems for electric vessels in port environments. Funded by 9.35 million euros through the Horizon Europe program, the project involved 18 partners from ten different countries.

Recent real-world testing at the port of Norddeich, Germany, successfully demonstrated an automated connection between a vessel and port infrastructure in less than 30 seconds. While the tested demonstration reached a power capacity of 2 MW, the technology is designed to operate between 1 and 5 MW depending on port and vessel requirements.

This innovation seeks to accelerate port turnaround times by reducing the manual intervention and long connection periods currently required for electric ships. Additionally, the system incorporates adaptive energy management strategies to mitigate battery aging. Ikerlan estimates that the solution could reduce operational and maintenance costs for electric fleets by up to 20%, contributing to the decarbonization of the maritime transport sector.