MARYSVILLE — Echandia, a Swedish marine battery maker, opened its first U.S. plant Tuesday in Snohomish County.
Located at the Cascade Industrial Park in Marysville, the new 20,000 square-foot manufacturing facility is the six-year-old company’s first location outside of Stockholm.
Echandia’s lithium-ion battery systems power everything from tugboats to hybrid-electric and electric ferries in Europe, New Zealand and India.
In Copenhagen, Echandia’s batteries power a fleet of seven electric vessels that can carry up to 80 people. The ferries, which run 17 hours a day, can be fully charged in under 10 minutes, the company said.
At a ribbon-cutting Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee, Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring and other officials welcomed the company. More than 75 people attended.
Everything from commercial maritime vessels to construction equipment is moving from fossil fuel dependency to electric power, Echandia’s CEO Fredrik Hellström told the audience.
“It’s a market that’s growing everywhere in the world,” Hellström said.
For now, the vast building is empty, not even the electricity is on. But Echandia plans to ramp up quickly and hire about 25 people in the next few weeks to jump-start the operation, Nehring said.
Thirteen years ago, the notion battery-powered electric engines could power large marine vessels was inconceivable, Echandia’s sales director Trevor Small told the audience. In 2011, Small said he was “walked out” of a marine conference after being told, “Batteries don’t belong on a boat. Electricity and water don’t mix.”
It’s a changed world, he said.
Echandia’s technology could provide the batteries for the state ferry system’s proposed fleet of hybrid and all-electric powered ferries.
“It’s all about tailoring the batteries to be the right fit for the application. So different ferries will potentially require different kinds of batteries,” said Drew Orvieto, vice president of sales at ABB Marine and Ports.
In July, the state Department of Transportation selected ABB Marine, a Swiss company, to design and construct the engines for five new hybrid-electric, 160-auto-capacity ferries.
“We’re providing all of the propulsion and electrification equipment and Enchandia is one of the suppliers we’re considering for the batteries,” Orvieto said.
ABB expects to award the contract in a week or two.
“We haven’t made the final decision, but we’re here supporting them (Enchandia) as a potential supplier of ours,” Orvieto said.
On the subject of ferries, Inslee described traveling on one of Norway’s 80 electric commuter ferries and talking to crew members.
“Crews love the electric fleet. They fight to get on those boats,” Inslee said. “There’s no vibration, no noise. It’s another reason to love electric propulsion systems.”
Inslee also used the occasion to promote the state’s Climate Commitment Act, which went into effect in January 2023.
Much of the funding for the state ferry system’s electrification plan comes from two major state initiatives, including $1.03 billion from Move Ahead Washington and $599 million from the Climate Commitment Act.
But some of those dollars are at risk, Inslee cautioned, if voters in November approve Initiative 2117 to repeal the Climate Commitment Act.
Janice Podsada: 425-339-3097; jpodsada@heraldnet.com;
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