Kerala’s solar ferry ‘Aditya’ in global limelight

This is a proud moment for Kerala. Aditya, India’s first solar-powered ferry that commenced operations in 2017 in Kerala’s Vembanad backwaters, has won the prestigious Gustave Trouve Award for Excellence in Electric Boats and Boating.

The ferry was declared as the world’s best electric boat in the category of ferries designed for paid passenger service.

“The Aditya, from Navalt Boats, is a sun-powered commuter ferry that is one of the great stories of the future of electric marine propulsion. Every day, she makes 22 trips with 75 people on board – that’s 5,80,000 people a year – and the charging cost to top up the batteries is $2.60 a day – preventing the burning of 58,000 litres of diesel and saving $4,612,000- $65,000 a year,” reads the citation

The ferry, which belongs to Kerala State Water Transport Department(KSTWD), operates service between Thavanakadavu in Alappuzha and Vaikom in Kottayam district.

Ultra-modern facilities like echo-sounder, GPS, hydraulic steering, automatic pump to remove water from the haul- are some of the factors that make ‘Aditya’ unique.

The ferry was designed by the Department of Ship Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology.

Meanwhile, Aditya’s achievement has created a positive sentiment, inspiring startup companies. “A proud moment for the Kerala startup ecosystem as the Aditya Solar Ferry has won the First ‘Gussies’ electric boat awards, the world’s only international award exclusively for electric boats,” tweeted Kerala Startup Mission.

Next month, NavAlt is expected to hand-over a double-decker air-conditioned solar-powered ferry for 100 passengers to KSWTD to be run on tourist circuits in Alappuzha. Five more passenger ferries are in the offing for release by next year.