electric self-driving ferry in stockholm ready for public transport use in the summer of 2023

Zero Emission Autonomous Mobility ready for transport

Zeam – which stands for Zero Emission Autonomous Mobility – launches what it calls the world’s first commercial self-driving passenger ferry. Brought about by the initiative of Norwegian shipping company Torghatten AS, Zeam says that its water vehicle for commercial use begins in June 2023, transporting passengers to and from Kungsholmen and Södermalm in Stockholm every day. The driverless watercraft comes and goes every 15 minutes for around 15 hours a day. Zeam runs between Kungsholmen and Södermalm, with a stop on each side. The stop on the north side is outside the Orangery while the stop on the south is below Skinnarviksberget.

Zeam employs technology to make the electric, self-driving ferry a reality. The development of this public transport has taken place in collaboration with the company Zeabuz – a spin-off from the research center for autonomous marine operations and systems (AMOS) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology – and its technology is going to be used for the driverless ferry. Radar, lidar, cameras, ultrasonic sensors, AI, and GPS are installed in the ferry to help the vessel navigate through the water by scanning the environment, making smart decisions on its movement and ensuring a safe docking sequence.

images courtesy of Zeam and Zeabuz

Electric self-driving ferry Zeam uses AI

For those who are not yet sold on the idea of having an electric, self-driving ferry transport them quickly, Zeam states that the smart boat has perfect visibility day and night to help the passenger cross lands safely every time.

Amidst being driverless, the design team is set to place a security operator on board at all times who monitors the system and is ready to take over the manual driving. During the day, the solar panels on the roof of the boat soaks in energy, enough to charge and let the vessel operate on its own. At night, operators plug the electric ferry with a power cable so it can be ready for transport the following day.

The electric, self-driving ferry team states that they are conducting rigorous safety and technical tests to make sure that the self-driving technology works as intended, under the supervision of an onboard safety operator. They employ simulator technology to review the workings of the entire self-driving system from sensors to propellers in a wide range of scenarios. ‘Combining our cutting-edge simulators with real-world experience accelerates the learning process and ensures that our algorithms make the right decisions in all situations,’ says Zeabuz.

the driverless watercraft comes and goes every 15 minutes for around 15 hours a day

Building autonomous ferries for cities

The idea of autonomous city ferries started at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. A group of researchers developed it in 2017 and created the first prototype MilliAmpere which would operate a 100-meter crossing between Ravnkloa and Vestre Kanalhavn in central Trondheim. Based on the results from MilliAmpere, the company Zeabuz was founded in 2019 with the mission to commercialize the technology.

NTNU later developed a larger prototype, MilliAmpere2, which was completed in 2021. This was put into a test operation that was open to the public for four weeks in 2022. 1,500 passengers traveled with MilliAmpere2 during the period without any intervention from the commander.

At the same time, Torghatten AS joined as a co-owner and operator of Zeabuz. ‘Stockholm’s unique water environment makes the city perfect for being the first to launch the technology. Instead of being barriers, the water surfaces will stitch the city together and become a shortcut for all Stockholmers,’ says Reidun Svarva, business area manager at Torghatten AS.

beginning june 2023, the ferry transports people to and from Kungsholmen and Södermalm in Stockholm every day