With more than 2.4 million people in its metropolitan area, Stockholm is by far the biggest city in Sweden. Navigating a community that size can be a challenge, particularly when the city consists of 14 interconnected islands. There are bridges for commuters to travel on but ferries are also a huge part of getting around cities like Stockholm. Well, a new option has been added to that roster.
Nova, a hydrofoil ferry powered by electric motors, recently made its debut in the waters of Stockholm. It can transport 25 passengers at a pace that's around 15 miles per hour faster than the regular ferries used in the city. Additionally, its hydrofoil wings decrease energy consumption by approximately 80%, which is quite impressive. Again, this is a steep decline from the standard diesel ferries usually in service around Stockholm and bodes well for the future of mass transportation.
The vast majority of Stockholm's public ferries use fossil fuels. As they are rotated out of service, the long-term goal is likely to bring in more electric ferries like Nova. Being that they are faster and more efficient, it only makes sense to move in that direction. Continued success during Nova's trial run all but makes that a certainty, though the impact could be bigger than Stockholm.
Successful implementation of this new style of ferry could be revolutionary to other cities that use similar styles of public transportation. Electric ferries like Nova could be put to good use in places like New York City that struggle with both traffic congestion and air pollution. Any major center with many water crossings faces similar issues. At this point, Stockholm only has Nova on the water but the future potential for a larger fleet seems quite likely given the early success of this new transportation.