ADITYA -India’s first solar powered ferry

India’s first solar-powered ferry, Aditya, which became an icon on the Vaikom Thavanakkadavu route in Kerala was launched in 2017.
The solar vessel with 75 passenger capacity has been playing service successfully covering Vaikom – Thavanakadavu route averting a wide range of air and water pollution.
It was built by Navalt Solar and Electric Boats, Kochi.
As a public transport solar electric ferry, it has proven its performance in its third year, transporting 11 lakh passengers and clocking a distance of 70,000 km, without a single drop of fossil fuel. It thus saved KSWTD over 1 lakh litres of diesel.
It has saved Rs.75 lakh of fuel cost since 2017.

Aditya is among 12 such ferries that have been shortlisted for the Gustave Trouvé Award.
It is the sole entrant from Asia. There are three award categories: one for electric boats up to 8m in length, electric boats more than 8 m long and electric ferry boats (passenger boats), the category in which Aditya is in the fray.

Gussies Electric Boat Awards were instituted in memory of Gustave Trouvé, a French electrical engineer and pioneer in electric cars and boats. Trouvé was a prolific inventor with over 75 patents.
Back in 1881, he developed a 5m long prototype electric boat.

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