Kochi Water Metro – first vessel in operation 

The Kochi Water Metro project which was initiated about a year ago has now finalized its first delivery of 23 to come. On the 31st of December, the first electric vessel running on Echandia LTO-batteries was delivered. 

The first installment of 23 vessels being built at the Cochin Shipyard under the Kochi Water Metro are now handed over from the shipyard to the operator KMRL. During the well visited event. Madhmita Behra named the first boat ”Muziris”. Of the 23 to be delivered, five boats are under construction and will be handed over to KMRL in a couple of months KMRL said in a press release.

Groundbreaking project – environmentally friendly public transport

Kochi Water Metro is an interesting and groundbreaking project, with integrated rail and water transport to improve connectivity for the residents of Kochi. The traffic is monitored from an operating control centre at the Vytilla hub, and is equipped with an automatic location system that continuously monitor the position of the vessels.

When completed the operation will consist of 78 boats connecting 38 terminals over a 76 kilometers long route. Each vessel can carry a total of 100 passengers.

This is a world first; where a centrally controlled integrated fleet of vessels is being powered by batteries. The vessels are fully charged in 10-15 minutes while the passengers are boarding or leaving the vessel.  The charging solution is located in floating pontoon jetties at select locations along the route.

The energy solution

Echandia have been involved in the project to deliver the energy storage solution (ESS). The installation on the Kochi Water Metro vessels is a lithium-titanium oxide-based battery (LTO). This technology is able to deliver supercharging capabilities and comes with inherent safety features, which is paramount in any public transportation. A more detailed case of the battery solution on the Kochi Water Metro is found here and an in depth interview with general manager Sajan P. John about the evaluation and process of choosing Echandia LTO can be found here.   

Here’s a video of the first vessel in operation

Read more on the Times of India website 

Image courtesy of Cochin Shipyard