Sparky the Tugboat is a brand new e-tugboat working hard in the ports of Auckland and New Zealand. It is the first of its kind – a tugboat that handles full-sized boats in Auckland and New Zealand. Allegedly, it represents a future of net zero emissions ship handling and has a great safety record.
Tugboat Sparky is expected to last 25 years. The boat tugs huge container ships. That’s impressive. It can pull 880 tons of freight for 30 minutes on a single charge.
Sparky has 2,240 batteries; btm Ito cells sit in 80 battery racks. It’s a tugboat fire hazard.
Most of those batteries cost $10,000 to $20,000 each. The video says they last a long time, but they’d be better at that price. What kind of power does it draw to recharge? The batteries must take a long time to charge. What do the workmen do while Sparky’s charging?
How long before Sparky goes up in flames? I have no faith in Sparky, but maybe I’m wrong. We’ll check in down the road.
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