UK’s first electric tour boat set for London debut
Tourists visiting London next summer will be able to take in the sights from a zero emissions boat for the first time, with the capital’s Tower of London River Tour going electric.
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.
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