U.S. companies join forces to design and construct all-electric truckable tug

U.S.-based design and engineering company Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) and marine metal fabrication shop Miller Marine have joined forces to design and build a fully electric truckable tug.

As explained, EBDG will incorporate an electrical propulsion system into Miller Marine’s proven truckable tug design. Once the design phase is complete, Miller Marine will build the vessel at its 1393.5 square meter production facility.

The vessel has an overall length of just under 26 feet (approx. 8 meters) and will be powered by two permanent magnet motors with a total power of 300+ kW.

Shore power will be used to recharge the ship’s battery banks overnight, taking no more than eight hours. On a full charge, the vessel will operate with contingency for 12+ hours, according to the company.

A closed-loop fluid cooling system will provide temperature control of the batteries, motors and electronics, maximizing their lifetime. This configuration is ideally suited for shallow and silty water operations, EBDG noted.

The electric tug is intended to support public agency and private enterprise marine construction operations and short-range logistics. This includes servicing marine construction sites, tending dredges, tending buoys, short-range ferry operations and other near-shore operations such as crew transportation or line handling

In the past, EBDG designed a hybrid-electric passenger vehicle ferry for Maine ferry operator Casco Bay Lines. The vessel entered the construction phase this July.