Location: Droitwich, United Kingdom
Date: 29th October 2021
Ortomarine and Cafwin Cruises are pleased to announce that from April 2022, people wishing to experience cruising the inland waterways in a Serial Electric Hybrid narrowboat will be able to do so, via a collaboration between the two companies. “Ollie Owl” will be the second boat to be operated by luxury hire boat operator Cafwin Cruises, and is a 58’6”, 5 berth, serial electric hybrid narrowboat, built and owned by Ortomarine, who specialise in electric propulsion. Each company is committed to reducing both their own environmental impact and enabling others to do so. The collaboration is a result of these shared goals and hopes to encourage more people that electric propulsion is a viable option for a narrowboat.
Ollie Owl features all-electric propulsion for near-silent cruising, combined with an efficient onboard generator, plus 1.6kW of solar power to enable recharging of the high capacity battery bank, without the need to connect to shore power. To our knowledge, this will be the first Serial Electric Hybrid Narrowboat available for hire on the English canal network.
To further enhance the hire boat’s green credentials, all products provided for customers’ use will be eco-friendly so as to minimise the impact on the environment, plus we are hoping to run the diesel generator exclusively on HVO fuel, which eliminates up to 90% of net CO2 emissions and significantly reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx), particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO).
Customers choosing a holiday on “Ollie Owl” will be taking a large step towards reducing their own carbon footprint, particularly if it is instead of flying abroad on holiday!
We would be really happy if you could share our news and if you have any questions about this venture, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Caroline Badger Catherine Armstrong
Ortomarine Narrowboats Cafwin Cruises
