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Rapid battery cost declines accelerate the prospects of all-electric interregional container shipping

Author

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  • Jessica Kersey

    (University of California)

  • Natalie D. Popovich

    (Energy Technologies Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

  • Amol A. Phadke

    (Energy Technologies Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

Abstract

International maritime shipping—powered by heavy fuel oil—is a major contributor to global CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions. The direct electrification of maritime vessels has been underexplored as a low-emission option despite its considerable efficiency advantage over electrofuels. Past studies on ship electrification have relied on outdated assumptions on battery cost, energy density values and available on-board space. We show that at battery prices of US$100 kWh−1 the electrification of intraregional trade routes of less than 1,500 km is economical, with minimal impact to ship carrying capacity. Including the environmental costs increases the economical range to 5,000 km. If batteries achieve a US$50 kWh−1 price point, the economical range nearly doubles. We describe a pathway for the battery electrification of containerships within this decade that electrifies over 40% of global containership traffic, reduces CO2 emissions by 14% for US-based vessels, and mitigates the health impacts of air pollution on coastal communities.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica Kersey & Natalie D. Popovich & Amol A. Phadke, 2022. "Rapid battery cost declines accelerate the prospects of all-electric interregional container shipping," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 7(7), pages 664-674, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:7:y:2022:i:7:d:10.1038_s41560-022-01065-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41560-022-01065-y
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    Cited by:

    1. Marcin Kolodziejski & Iwona Michalska-Pozoga, 2023. "Battery Energy Storage Systems in Ships’ Hybrid/Electric Propulsion Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-24, January.
    2. Kanchiralla, Fayas Malik & Brynolf, Selma & Olsson, Tobias & Ellis, Joanne & Hansson, Julia & Grahn, Maria, 2023. "How do variations in ship operation impact the techno-economic feasibility and environmental performance of fossil-free fuels? A life cycle study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 350(C).
    3. Andres Laasma & Riina Otsason & Ulla Tapaninen & Olli-Pekka Hilmola, 2022. "Evaluation of Alternative Fuels for Coastal Ferries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-13, December.
    4. Jill W. Moraski & Natalie D. Popovich & Amol A. Phadke, 2023. "Leveraging rail-based mobile energy storage to increase grid reliability in the face of climate uncertainty," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 8(7), pages 736-746, July.
    5. Salman Farrukh & Mingqiang Li & Georgios D. Kouris & Dawei Wu & Karl Dearn & Zacharias Yerasimou & Pavlos Diamantis & Kostas Andrianos, 2023. "Pathways to Decarbonization of Deep-Sea Shipping: An Aframax Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-26, November.

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