Battery project aims to make sea transport more sustainable
The Current Direct battery project launched by Blackstone Resources and partners aims to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in sea transport. The Zug-based battery expert is contributing to the 3D-printed batteries project. Current Direct is funded by the EU.
The Current Direct project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in maritime transport by up to 482,000 tons of CO2 equivalents annually, explains Blackstone Resources in a press release . The Zug-based battery expert is one of a total of 13 partners who launched the Energy as a Service project. The European Union supports Current Direct through its Horizon 2020 research program.
Blackstone Resources is contributing lithium-ion battery cells produced using 3D printing to the project. According to the announcement, state-of-the-art materials are used in their production, which reduce the costs of production. In addition, the materials used can be recycled.
Overall, Current Direct aims to halve the cost of battery-powered ship propulsion systems. The Energy as a Service model also relieves ship owners of their capital costs. Current Direct thus offers “energy companies, institutional investors and state actors a mechanism to participate in the green transformation of the European merchant and passenger fleet,” writes the Zug-based battery expert.