Electric & hybrid propulsion for passenger vessels
Fully electric or hybrid, silent across the water: we build zero-emission passenger vessels — from one of the first hybrid passenger vessels in Germany to fully electric catamarans for Prague.
Schiffswerft Bolle was honoured for the development and construction of the MS Schwielowsee — representing our path towards cleaner shipping.
Hybrid and electric propulsion lets your vessel glide quietly and free of emissions. We develop the propulsion concept that suits your operating area — from purely electric operation in inner-city traffic to a hybrid solution for longer tours.
- ✓Fully electric propulsion with lithium-ion battery storage
- ✓Hybrid systems for range and flexibility
- ✓Charging with green electricity during layover
- ✓Electric catamarans for Prague — stable, shallow, ideal for electric propulsion
- ✓Retrofit of existing vessels possible
How electric and hybrid propulsion works
An electrically driven passenger vessel replaces the diesel engine with one or more electric motors, fed from lithium-ion batteries. Whether purely electric or hybrid depends on your operating area — on route, layover times and charging infrastructure. An overview of the four building blocks.
Battery instead of tank
Lithium-ion battery storage drives the electric motors. Charging takes place ashore during layover — ideally with green electricity. On fixed routes with predictable layovers this is the cleanest of the three types of propulsion: zero emissions in the operating area, no noise, no vibration.
Range where you need it
Hybrid systems combine battery and generator. In the harbour and along sensitive stretches the vessel runs purely on electricity; on long legs a diesel generator supplies additional energy — increasingly with synthetic, lower-emission fuel.
Quiet & low on vibration
An electric motor runs almost silently. For guests that means conversation instead of engine drone, quiet gliding instead of vibration. For residents at moorings and for natural surroundings: no exhaust smell, no diesel haze.
Economical & retrofittable
Fewer moving parts, less maintenance, predictable energy costs. Existing vessels can be retrofitted to electric or hybrid propulsion as well. We plan independently of any manufacturer — with us, the client is never the beta tester of a single system.
Diesel, hybrid or electric?
The right propulsion is determined by your operating area — not by fashion. Where you sail, how long you are under way, when you can charge: from that we develop your concept. Three characteristics, three answers.
A qualitative comparison — the actual figures depend on vessel, route and layover time. That is precisely why we advise independently of any manufacturer: it keeps you independent of a single supplier.
MS Schwielowsee
The hybrid passenger vessel carries up to 250 guests on the lakes and waterways around Berlin and Brandenburg. It is driven by two electric motors of 120 kW each, fed from lithium-ion batteries that are charged ashore with green electricity. For longer tours, generators running on synthetic, lower-emission fuel step in.
Anna Carolina
Our most consistent fully electric catamaran to date, delivered to Prague Boats in 2023. With twice the battery capacity of the Bella Bohemia, the Anna Carolina glides silently and free of emissions across the Vltava. Full-height glass walls and an upper observation deck turn every trip into a panoramic ride; a shallow draught and a wide catamaran hull match the low bridges of Prague's old town exactly.
Marie de Bohemia
Purely electric on the Vltava. The Marie de Bohemia shares the zero-emission propulsion platform of her sister ships — open upper deck, walls glazed to the maximum, moored at Kampa harbour. A vessel for quiet sightseeing tours right through Prague, without exhaust fumes and without engine noise.
Bella Bohemia
The first fully electric passenger vessel of its class in Prague — and the beginning of the green Vltava fleet. Her energy comes from twelve lithium-ion battery modules with a combined 126 kWh; she is driven purely electrically, completely silently and free of emissions. An open upper deck and glass walls all round open up the view of the city.
Bohemia Rhapsody
The opening act of the Prague fleet — and still one of the fastest passenger vessels in the city. The Bohemia Rhapsody combines a retractable all-glass roof (AquaCabrio) with an independent hybrid propulsion system. Built with us in Derben in just 212 days, she reaches up to 20 km/h.
From diesel to electric propulsion
Not every zero-emission vessel has to be a newbuilding. We also electrify existing passenger vessels: the old diesel engine comes out, an electric or hybrid drive with battery storage goes in — including classification and commissioning. That turns a traditional vessel into a quiet, low-emission one without it losing its character.
MS Havelglück
A passenger vessel with a history: launched in Genthin in 1971, the Havelglück ran on diesel propulsion for decades. In 2024 we completely converted her to electric hybrid propulsion for Reederei Lüdicke here in Derben — since then the traditional vessel has been gliding quietly and with low emissions along the Havel and the Spree.
MS SUNliner
A special piece of work: we built the SUNliner in 2017 as the XL version of our AquaCabrio concept for Donauschifffahrt Wurm + Noé in Passau — back then still with a diesel engine. In 2022 the vessel came back to us and was retrofitted to purely electric propulsion. Built and electrified from a single source, today she runs her three-river rounds on the Danube, the Inn and the Ilz free of emissions.
Further electrified conversions
From Berlin sightseeing vessels to canal boats and a Danube excursion vessel: these existing vessels have been converted by us from diesel to electric propulsion.
MS Pergamon
Conversion of the Berlin passenger vessel to purely electric propulsion: two Deep Blue rudder propellers of 50 kW each and two separate battery sets for the inner-city Spree.
MS Sirius
A general overhaul together with a retrofit to purely electric propulsion — saloon and open sun deck renewed throughout, inside and out.
MS Franziska
An electric sightseeing vessel for 120 guests (26.4 m in length) — zero-emission right through Berlin, past the government quarter and Berlin Cathedral.
Three canal boats
Oranje Nassau, Koningin Wilhelmina and Prins Bernhard: three canal boats in the Amsterdam tradition, retrofitted to silent electric propulsion for the canals in the heart of Berlin.
Wassertaxi 3
Currently in the shipyardNewly commissioned: we are retrofitting the vessel recently acquired by Wurm & Noé to electric propulsion — soon under way silently on the Danube.
MS Schwielowsee & the Prague catamarans
Propulsion, hull and fit-out — from a single source
We do not think of propulsion as a bought-in part, but as part of the vessel. From the steel and aluminium hull through propulsion planning to commissioning, everything is created here with us in Derben — independently of any manufacturer and tailored to your operating area. It is exactly this continuity that earned us the Inland Navigation Innovation Award.
More on this: newbuilding of passenger & restaurant vessels, our fully electric Prague fleet or a look at all services.
Frequently asked questions about electric & hybrid propulsion
How does fully electric propulsion work on a passenger vessel?
Lithium-ion battery storage drives the electric motors. Charging takes place ashore during layover — ideally with green electricity. On fixed routes with predictable layovers this is the cleanest of the three types of propulsion: zero emissions in the operating area, no noise, no vibration.
When does a hybrid propulsion system make sense?
Hybrid systems combine battery and generator. In the harbour and along sensitive stretches the vessel runs purely on electricity; on long legs a diesel generator supplies additional energy — increasingly with synthetic, lower-emission fuel.
How loud is electric propulsion for the guests?
An electric motor runs almost silently. For guests that means conversation instead of engine drone, quiet gliding instead of vibration. For residents at moorings and for natural surroundings it means no exhaust smell, no diesel haze.
Can an existing vessel be retrofitted to electric or hybrid propulsion?
Yes. Existing vessels can be retrofitted as well: the old diesel engine comes out, an electric or hybrid drive with battery storage goes in — including classification and commissioning. That turns a traditional vessel into a quiet, low-emission one without it losing its character. We plan independently of any manufacturer.
Diesel, hybrid or electric — which propulsion suits my operating area?
The right propulsion is determined by your waters — not by fashion. Electric runs zero-emission and almost silently, but is tied to its waters; hybrid combines quiet electric operation with a long range; diesel remains unrestricted in range. From route, layover times and charging infrastructure we develop your concept.
Tell us about your vision.
First sketch, propulsion, interior fit-out — all from a single source, entirely here with us in Derben.