Uber launched its Boat service in August 2020, rebranding the existing Thames Clipper vessels, with departures from 23 piers across London from Putney in the west to Woolwich Royal Arsenal in the east.

The firm has now built two new vessels at Wight Shipyard on the Isle of Wight designed to improve the sustainability credentials of its service.

The hybrid design will allow the new vessels to operate solely on battery power while transporting commuters and sightseers through the capital’s Central Zone, which stretches between Tower and Battersea Power Station piers.

The boats will recharge while using biofuelled power outside of central London. The technology is not reliant on shore-based charging; the new boats will use excess power from the biofuelled engines to re-charge their batteries for the central London stretch.

Uber Boat said the new vessels will also be quieter than previous model run on the service. The first vessel will enter service in the...