UK’s first electric tour boat set for London debut

Commissioned by Woods Tours, the 250-capacity Thames Explorer will feature an ‘ultra lightweight’ aluminium design combined with an ‘industry first’ all-battery drive train. The vessel’s EST Floattech Octopus Series battery bank will be rapid charged between each tour using a 2MW shore-based charging facility.

Details on the battery’s capacity have yet to be revealed, but the circular tour will last approximately 40 minutes as the boat departs Tower Bridge Quay and travels west along the Thames to the Palace of Westminster before returning to the Tower of London. The new tour has also been endorsed by Historic Royal Palaces - the independent charity that oversees the Tower of London – with a partnership agreed between it and Woods Tours.    

“This new vessel represents the bridge between the past and the future of river tourism, building on the generations of experience the Woods family have operating on the river whilst striving to lead the industry’s push towards sustainability,” said Chris Kangis, CEO of Woods Tours. 

“We are delighted to partner with Historic Royal Palaces for the Tower of London River Tour. The Tower of London is one of the most significant London landmarks on the river and the perfect match for the tour.”

Construction of the Thames Explorer is under way at Cornwall’s Pendennis shipyard, best known for building and refitting luxury yachts. The vessel will be fully accessible and equipped with innovative features including solar gain reducing glazing and LED lighting.

“The start of the Thames Explorer project has been an exciting period for the yard and all the team involved,” said Toby Allies, managing director at Pendennis. “The aluminium construction specified on the project is all in-house providing a perfect backdrop for some of our more experienced team members to transfer their skills and knowledge to a whole new generation of fabricators.

“The client’s requirement for the vessel is also for it to be fully battery-powered advancing our own in-house capabilities in this area that in turn will transfer to other market sectors that we operate in.”

The project is part of the Department for Transport’s  Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 4 (CMDC4), funded and delivered by Innovate UK. CMDC4 is part of the DfT’s UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, a £206m initiative focused on developing the technology needed to decarbonise the UK’s domestic maritime sector.