FRANCE – Renault has worked in partnership with French specialist maritime company Seine Alliance and electric propulsion experts Green-Vision to develop the first all-electric passenger boat powered by “second life” batteries.

Known as “Black Swan,” the new boat represents the first step towards Seine Alliance’s plans to offer an all-electric river cruise fleet by 2024. The all-electric boat was created by pulling a traditional internal combustion engine out of an existing water craft, and replacing it with batteries and motors. According to the engineers behind the project, the batteries and motors weigh 278 kg, which is less that the combined weight of the original fuel tank and engines.

Due to go into service in 2020, the Black Swan uses lithium-ion batteries that have already had their “first car life” in Renault Z.E. vehicles. After being reconditioned these cells are used to power a pair of 20 kW electric motors that allow two hours cruising on the River Seine in Paris.