Lukas Kistner
Senior Researcher, HD Hyundai Europe R&D Center
Since 2018, Lukas Kistner is working as a researcher with an electrical engineering background with a focus on ship power system configurations and techno-economic analyses. In 2023, he achieved his Dr.-Ing. doctorate at Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany. His investigations cover the topics of hybrid power system design optimization, control strategies, economic and environmental assessments, different fuel cell technologies, and synthetic fuels. Since 2024, Lukas works as a senior researcher and research project manager for the HD Hyundai Europe R&D Center, a venture founded in April 2023 to enhance the HD Hyundai/HD KSOE research network.
Potentials and Limitations of Battery-electric Ship Propulsion Systems
The defossilization of the open-sea ship traffic can most definitely only be achieved with alternative energy carriers. Besides synthetic fuels, battery-electric propulsion is a much-discussed measure, especially for smaller vessels and short passages. However, there is no consensus on quantitative ship characteristics that would allow for the application of batteries instead of a fuel-based solution. Therefore, limitations of battery propulsion systems are assessed for 45 vessels with a range of transport capacities. Mass and volume limitations of the ship are monitored, and emerging opportunity costs are quantified in addition to capital and operating expenses.