Since raising government support in 2015, Southampton-based REAPsystems have been a pioneer in the development of a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system for boats and watercraft, designed to reduce both noise pollution and exhaust emissions.
This retrofitted water taxi will be used in Venice to take tourists from the airport to the city centre.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Venice has historically relied on diesel power to propel the lagoon city’s water taxis to ferry tourists along the canals. The sustained effects of this has led to a wide-spread pollution problem within the city as well as increasing the speed at which erosion damages the city’s architecture.
REAPsystems’ hybrid system uses a combination of an ultra-efficient diesel engine, used to provide power when out at sea and to re-charge the hybrid system’s batteries, alongside GS Yuasa’s proven Lithium-ion battery technology, reducing wake, noise and exhaust emissions.
