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The ferry designed to reshape Australia's waterways
16th Jun 2026
A digital rendering of the Aus Ships ferry powered by Volvo Penta (image: Volvo Penta).
Australia’s first 100% electrically driven passenger ferry – a collaboration between Aus Ships and Volvo Penta, intends to go beyond just deploying new technology – it aims to further validate scalable electric marine propulsion.
Supported with an AUD2 million (US$1.4 million) grant from the Australia-Singapore Low Emissions Technologies (ASLET) initiative, the ferry will be the first vessel globally to enter the market with a twin installation of the Volvo Penta IPS450E electric propulsion system, delivering 250kW per driveline.
The Volvo Penta Electric Inboard Performance System (IPS) system will leverage