Supply of Lithium Battery Set Up For Cowes Floating Bridge

Floating Bridge 6 has 4 x 6v batteries which power the DC electrical system, namely everything on board that would run off a normal household plug or usb, lighting, electronics, etc. Failing batteries were responsible for a service suspension between 24th and 29th January 2025and the batteries were replaced. The Floating Bridge Senior Technical Officer (FBSTO) added this replacement task to the Floating Bridges Preventative Maintenance Schedule with a view to replacing these batteries annually to ensure reliance and resilience.

The FBSTO ordered replacement lead acid batteries on 13th January 2026 but was informed that the model which is compatible for our requirements is no longer being produced/sold off the shelf in this country, largely due to the widespread changeover to lithium power. The only place the FBSTO could source them from was Canada, with a jump from £700 per unit (we need 4) to over £1000 per unit, along with an extended lead-time of approximately 6 months. In order to overcome this potential problem of lack of compatible batteries in the future, it is proposed that an alternator and a 48v lithium-ion phosphate battery is installed on the Floating Bridge.