Norwegian company Hyke has completed a test of its electric F-15 Shuttle, marking a new milestone for the country’s public transport system.
The shuttle, a 14.9-metre-long, fully electric passenger vessel developed for short urban crossings and municipal transport applications, recently completed 14 months of service in Fredrikstad, operating as part of the city’s municipal transport system on the Bekkhus–Vaterland route, carrying more than 41,000 passengers during its daily operations.
Covering a 255-metre river crossing, the vessel was capable of completing the journey in approximately two minutes. The ferry utilises roughly the same amount of power as five standard household hair dryers, and offers services at up to 88% lower energy consumption than traditional diesel vessels.
Halvor Vislie, CEO of Hyke, said:The project shows that our urban waters can be used much more efficiently. Instead of digging tunnels or building bridges, which are hugely costly, electric ferries can quickly be deployed to shuttle large numbers of passengers. It’s time to rethink urban planning by putting waterways at the centre.
Together with Fredrikstad Municipality, we’ve demonstrated that Hyke F-15 can operate as part of everyday public transport — efficiently, quietly, and with strong passenger acceptance.
The Hyke F-15 shuttle is capable of carrying up to 50 passengers, and weighs approximately 11 tonnes. It has a battery capacity of 196 kWh, and an energy consumption rate of 10 kWh per hour. Charging can be completed in 10 hours, and it utilises 150kW DC and 22kW AC charging.
The pilot in Fredrikstad was backed by European and national programmes, including the Urban Growth Agreement (Bypakke Nedre Glomma) and the EU Horizon Europe SUM (Seamless Urban Mobility) programme.
