Many motor manufacturers offer hybrid power versions of vehicles in their range. But, the same principles encouraging this trend apply just as well to other forms of transport that rely in the good old internal combustion engine. I don’t know about you, but seeing a luxury yacht chugging out of harbour enveloped in its own cloud of diesel fumes spoils the attraction of that G & T on deck.
Hybrid power is becoming increasingly popular for many marine applications, not just luxury yachts. The vehicle and passenger ferry MV Hallaig has been operating between Sconser and Raasay since the end of 2013, bringing low carbon emission services to the picturesque islands off the west coast of Scotland. The ferry is fitted with 700kWh of lithium ion batteries as well as the more conventional marine diesel engines.
With summer on its way, slipping out of harbour under silent electric power, with a glass in hand, seems a far better way of creating a positive image in our environmentally conscious age.
Image credit: Caledonian McBrayne ferry by Andrewrabbott (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
