Eco conscious canal hirers will soon be able to enjoy near silent all electric cruising, backed up when needed by a quiet onboard generator and solar panels recharging batteries without having to hook up to mains shore power.
Cafwin Cruisers are based on the Droitwich Canal and the new addition to their luxury boutique boats will probably be the first Serial Electric Hybrid hire narrowboat on UK canals. 5 berth Ollie Owl has been specially built by Ortomarine who specialise in electric propulsion and the companies hope it will encourage more people to realise that hybrid electric propulsion is a viable option for a narrowboat. (Castle Narrowboats on the Mon and Brec canal have had electric hire boats for decades which get charged overnight by shore power.)
Ollie Owl is fully specced with all the boutique comforts you would expect from Cafwin Cruisers including rainfall shower, washing machine and of course bow thrusters!
Director Catherine Armstrong says: “Imagine cruising in near silence, with almost zero emissions, at one with nature – that is the Ortomarine experience which will now be shared by our eco-friendly guests. In our new Serial Hybrid Narrowboat, there will be a single electric engine to drive the propshaft, but as the batteries start to get low, a small, quiet and efficient diesel generator will automatically kick in and recharge the batteries as you cruise along.
A solar set-up of 10 roof mounted semi-flexible solar panels means that on those long summer days you might not even need the use of the diesel generator. However, the flexibility of having the generator back-up means that you are not confined to having to find an electric hook up each night to re-charge your batteries and you will have the flexibility to moor up anywhere you choose on route.”
To add to the boat’s green credentials all products provided for customers’ use will be eco-friendly so as to minimise the impact on the environment.
Cafwin Cruisers are also hoping to run the onboard diesel generator exclusively on HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) fuel, which eliminates up to 90% of net CO2 emissions and significantly reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx), particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO).
More details on the Cafwin Cruisers website www.cafwincruises.com and the Ortomarine Narrowboats website www.ortomarine.co.uk .