India's first solar-powered ferry Aditya, shortlisted for the Gustave Trouve Award

India’s first solar ferry sails into global contest

India’s first solar-powered ferry, Aditya, which became an icon on the Vaikom-Thavanakadavu route in Kerala, is among 12 such ferries that have been shortlisted for the Gustave Trouvé Award. It is the sole entrant from Asia.

Operated by the Kerala State Water Transport Department (KSWTD), the vessel was built by Navalt Solar and Electric Boats, Kochi. Buoyed by the success of the ferry and its rock bottom operating cost, the department is expected to roll out more such vessels in the future.

The founder-CEO of the firm, Sandith Thandassery, a naval architect who graduated from IIT-Madras, explained what contributed to the success of the vessel. “As a public transport solar-electric ferry, it has proven its performance in its third year, transporting 11 lakh passengers and clocking a distance of 70,000 km, without a single drop of fossil fuel. It thus saved KSWTD over 1 lakh litres of diesel.”

The per km energy cost of Aditya is low, and the ferry normally operates 22 trips a day, covering a total of 66 km, carrying 75 passengers per trip.

It needs just rupees 180 per day in energy cost, compared to about 8,000 rupees for a diesel-run ferry of similar size. It is unusual for a high technology product to have such a low break-even period, Mr. Thandassery said. The financial viability of the zero pollution vessel is such that the KSWTD, in January 2020, said that it saved rupees 75 lakh (7.5 million rupees) since its 2017 launch.

Aditya (boat) - Wikipedia

Launched in 2017, Aditya has till date transported over a million passengers solely on solar power.

 

I would pay 24,000 rupees per day to not have to get on that.

 

I actually intuited you commenting like that, and upon checking found it to be true.

Thanks for the data that helped me to gauge my intuitive ability, kiddo. That's a personal positive for me.

As for the boat, it has not yet had any accidents so far, and is more of an experimental project. It can be made more aesthetic and comfortable with time, especially when it is mass produced.