Cost-effective planning and abatement costs of battery electric passenger vessel services

This paper analyzes the energy replacement potential for high-speed passenger vessels. Emphasis is on whether better planning of services can mitigate technical and economic barriers to zero emission transport. A novel Mixed-Integer Programming problem for battery electric vessel services that jointly minimizes operator and passenger costs subject to strategic (fleet selection and land-based infrastructure location), tactical (frequency), and operational decisions (sailing pattern) is proposed. The planning problem is utilized to estimate technology replacement potential and associated costs for two existing services/routes in Norway and based on four hypothetical demand scenarios derived from the same two services. The results showcase that constraints related to battery range and charging limit the replacement potential and make energy conservation more pertinent. Abatement cost estimates range between 3 000 and 18 000 NOK per ton , placing them well above the social cost of carbon calculated at 2 000 NOK per ton by 2030.