Between 2020 and 2024, six Batobus boats will be equipped with hybrid electric technology, at a cost of €4.2 million over four years, the equivalent of 25% of the fleet replacement value. The project will consist in replacing one of each boat’s two thermal generators with an electric battery pack to deliver “We are proud to undertake this major transformation alongside the VINCI Energies teams. The conversion of Batobus boats to hybrid electric technology will reduce their environmental impact and enable them to operate more quietly. Hybrid boats will also be able to switch to all-electric propulsion over a part of the route within the historic centre of Paris,” said Franck Chanevas, Executive Director of Sodexo Sports et Loisirs in France and Spain.

“None of the existing solutions was able, by itself, to meet the full exacting specification for the Seine river shuttle boats, which operate 15 hours a day at 300 kW without re-charging and are powered over a part of each journey by battery alone. We tackled the challenge of devising an innovative customised solution that can subsequently be used by other types of boat,” says Vincent Bouffard, Deputy Managing Director of VINCI Energies France.

“The Batobus goal is to work with VINCI Energies to develop the first hybrid boat able to transport 200 passengers on the Seine, with a schedule spanning 15 hours a day; to ensure reliable, safe shuttle service; and to offer an improved, quieter experience within the heart of Paris,” says Arnaud Daniel, Deputy Managing Director of Batobus and Bateaux Parisiens.