Good Friday, wherever you may be! It’s the end of the week, which means time again to give you the round-up of positive stories from all over the world. From the world’s first hydrofoil ferry operating in Sweden to a new therapy that can shrink brain tumors in weeks, we hope this batch of Good News will put a smile on your face this Friday.
🛥️ World’s First Hydrofoil Ferry Line Starts Operation
🚭 UK Set To Ban The Sale Of E-Cigarettes
🌊 Commonwealth Nations Adopt First Ocean Declaration
🩻 New Radioactive Therapy Shrinks Brain Tumor In Weeks
🐸 New Tiny Toad Species Found In Brazil
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 🌳
World’s First Hydrofoil Ferry Line Starts Operation
Candela.com
Water vessels use a lot of energy to travel through water
Hydrofoil vessels greatly reduce energy consumption
World’s first hydrofoil ferry now operating in Sweden
Cuts travel time in half and energy use by 80%
Water vessels are great for traveling across bodies of water, but conventional ships need a lot of energy (fuel) to cut through water and compensate for drag force — and even more so at higher speeds. Water is 800 times denser than air, and when a boat moves through water it needs energy to propel it forward and move the water out of the hull’s way. The faster the boat, the greater the force needed to push the water aside. Below is a graphic that illustrates how fuel consumption (in kilograms per hour) significantly increases with speed.
Fuel consumption rate vs Ship speed. Pearson, David. (2014). The use of Flettner rotors in efficient ship design. RINA, Royal Institution of Naval Architects - Influence of EEDI on Ship Design 2014. 162-169.
The best way to reduce drag force on water is to have as little as possible contact with the water itself. It’s simple: The less water friction a vessel encounters, the less fuel is needed to overcome drag. Traveling by water is also costly and slow, especially for people who use ferries as their local transportation. It seems, however, that all of this is about to change, thanks to hydrofoil technology. A hydrofoil ferry uses lifting foils and electric motors to raise the hull out of the water and propel it above the water’s surface. Below is a simple illustration of what a hydrofoil ferry looks like.
Designboom
In Stockholm, Sweden, the city’s 70 public transport vessels use more fossil fuels than all their buses and trains combined, even though way more people use the two latter forms of transportation. The Good News is that the world’s first ever hydrofoil ferry line started operating in Stockholm at the end of October this year. Called Nova, this computer-controlled hydrofoil ferry took a mere 30 minutes to travel 15 kilometers from the suburb of Tappström to Stockholm’s City Hall — a trip that usually takes double the time using traditional ferries. It’s currently the fastest hydrofoil ferry in the world and it runs on 100% renewable technology. By avoiding water friction, the Nova reduces energy consumption by 80% compared to ordinary vessels.
The ferry also doesn’t need special docking stations as it can easily recharge its batteries at already existing car charging ports. The engineers behind this groundbreaking ferry hope that it will pave the way for better waterway transport in the future. “For the first time, there is a vessel that makes waterborne transport faster, greener, and more affordable than land transport. It’s a renaissance for the world’s waterways, and it’s exciting that Stockholm is leading the way,” said Gustav Hasselskog, the founder of the company behind Nova.
That’s it for today! We hope this batch of Good News made you smile today. Have a good weekend and we’ll see you on Monday. 🌻
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