A significant portion of the US shipping fleet could be electrified cost effectively by 2035, helping to make a dent in the carbon emissions from the sector, researchers have said.

Shipping represents around 3% of total US greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. It is considered to be a sector that is hard to decarbonise as electrifying ships is considerably more challenging than electrifying cars from both a technical and a market perspective.

A ship is also a much bigger capital investment than a car and has a lifespan of several decades. While better battery technology in recent years has meant electric vehicles with longer ranges, ships are vastly heavier than cars and can travel very long distances between ports. These heavy weights and long distances have led to concerns that electrifying shipping isn’t feasible given current technology.

However, a team of researchers from the US Department of Energy believe electrification of shipping is less challenging than assumed.

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