The largest electric “cruising” boat in the world… has a meager autonomy

On paper, it’s impressive: the Yangtze River Three Gorges 1, the largest electric cruise ship in the world (100 m in length), made its first maiden voyage a few days ago, carrying hundreds of passengers with it. This monster designed for river navigation is supplied with energy via the hydroelectric power station of the Three Gorges dam located in the province of Hubei.

The society China Three Gorges Corporation, which built and manages the Three Gorges Dam, also designed this 100 electric cruise ship at a total cost of 21.3 million euros. I’Beijing University of Technology took care of the technological part (motor, battery) and Hubei Three Gorges Tourism of the commercial and tourist part.

So far so good, but there is still a big problem: the 7,500 kWh battery provides a range of barely 100 km, which is far from the navigation criteria of most cruise ships. Admittedly, this is about taking a short trip on the Yangtze River, but it’s still a bit short…