Electric ferry takes first journey across River Thames
Orbit Clipper is the first fully electric passenger ferry in the Uber Boat scheme.
The UK Department for Transport and Innovate UK funded development of Orbit Clipper, which will operate between Rotherhithe on the south of the river and Canary Wharf on the northern side.
Partners on the project include high-speed aluminium ship builder Wight Shipyard Company, maritime civil engineering consultants Beckett Rankine and electric infrastructure specialists Aqua superpower.
The vessel has entered operation in tandem with the current vessel, Twinstar, to ensure service continuity, and will be progressively phased into operation. Full operation and exclusivity of the route is targeted for spring 2026.
Once fully operational, the 150-passenger boat, with capacity for 100 bicycles, will cross the river every 10 minutes from each side on weekdays and every 15 minutes on weekends.
Tim Beckett, Director of Beckett Rankine, says the concept of an electric ferry crossing at Rotherhithe earned the NCE100 Impact in Transport Award 2019, and ‘the project has provided valuable lessons that will guide future low-cost, active travel river-crossing schemes’.
In partnership with British Triathlon, supporting the city’s drive for active, sustainable travel, a fleet of cyclists were welcomed onto the boat upon its launch.
The ship is part of Uber Boat by Thames Clippers' broader sustainable innovation initiative. The company’s existing modern fleet features three hybrid high-speed ferries – Earth Clipper, Celestial Clipper and Mars Clipper – which operate on battery power in Central London and recharge while continuing to sail outside this zone.
Chief Project Engineer at Aqua superpower Matt Holland adds the company’s ‘advanced marine chargers ensure rapid, seamless recharging, supporting the vessel’s high-frequency service while delivering zero local emissions on the River Thames’.
