Chartwell Marine, a trusted pioneer of next-generation vessel design, has announced that its electric foiling high-speed trimaran demonstrator has entered build at Designcraft Ltd, Southampton-based specialists in composite vessel construction.
The £1.86 million project, funded by Innovate UK, is a partnership between Chartwell Marine, Solent University and Newcastle Marine Services to develop and build a scaled demonstrator for a simple and cost-effective zero-emission foiling fast ferry.
“Foiling technology has great potential to significantly increase the range and viability of electric vessels, specifically in the passenger ferry industry, where routes, operations, and conditions are predictable and typically consistent,” said Andy Page, Managing Director, Chartwell Marine.
“However, for foiling to become widely adopted and viable at scale, components must be commercially available on short lead times and easy to integrate – for example, leveraging standard electric motors, commonly found in the automotive industry. Integrating these technologies in a marine platform is still in its early stages and requires rigorous testing to fully understand their potential and suitability. Addressing any technical hurdles is crucial before foiling technology can be deemed viable for industry-wide implementation.”
