Moving to electric power seems on the face of it to be a good idea for Amsterdam's tourist barges. But some operators fear that the costs of the move threaten to put them out of business.

The local authorities in Amsterdam have declared that all boats must be running on electric power by 2025. The move will obviously reduce noise, airborne pollution and greenhouse gases at heart of the city.

An interim target is to reduce energy usage across the city by 20% by 2020. Electrifying the barges is a big part of that initiative, so the authorities are keen for boats to be converted as quickly as possible.

All well and good, you'd have thought, but companies that own and run the barges aren't so pleased. They do want to do their best for the environment, but it could cost them millions of euros.

Paying up front

One operator has switched six boats over to electric already. But it takes three months to do the work and the boat is not earning its keep during that time. Added to that a 75ft tourist barge needs more than sixty batteries, so the conversion costs between €165,000 and €250,000 euros. It'll take quite a few extra tourists to recoup that outlay.

In the longer term the finances should balance out, as the boats are cheaper to run, according to the battery and systems suppliers. But the operators aren't happy about having to front up such large capital amounts and there's a distinct lack of charging points on the canals at the moment.

Monitoring software brings benefits

A side benefit of the switch to electric is that the boats will have software installed that monitors the health of the batteries, reporting back to a central console. This is mainly to check that water hasn't got into the battery compartment, but location and performance data is constantly being fed back too.

This will allow operators to make the most economical use of the barges, bringing one that's low on power back to base for a charge while another one goes out in its place. This is important for the operators as there's unlikely to be a charging point for every boat.

Fully charged boats should be able to run for two days, another aspect that will help operators manage the sharing of charging points.

Hobson's choice

In the end, despite the difficulties facing the barge operators, it's a moot point. If the bargees don't comply they'll be refused permits and go out of business anyway.

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