Definitely not your usual EV: China begins sea trial for world's largest electric ship — Ning Yuan Dian Kun is longer than a football field, weighs 10,000 tons, and uses 10 container batteries with a total 19MWh capacity
Solar panels support onboard electrical loads
by https://www.techradar.com/uk/author/efosa-udinmwen · TechRadarNews By Efosa Udinmwen published 1 May 2026
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- Ning Yuan Dian Kun, a 10,000‑ton container ship, is powered by the equivalent of 250 Tesla‑grade batteries
- It can swap all ten batteries at the dock like a giant phone
- Two 875‑kW motors push this electric giant to 11.5 knots
When most people think of electric vehicles, they imagine a sedan or an SUV, not a vessel that underwent sea trials off Shanghai in February 2026.
The Ning Yuan Dian Kun, an electric vessel, stretches nearly 128 meters from bow to stern — longer than a standard American football field, including both end zones.
At 10,000 deadweight tons, this Chinese containership operates on a scale that few battery-powered machines have ever attempted.
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A floating battery pack with a propulsion system
The ship carries ten containerized batteries that together store 19 megawatt hours of energy, which is roughly equivalent to 250 Tesla-scale 75kWh battery packs put together.
It also hosts two permanent magnet motors, each rated at 875 kilowatts, that convert the ship’s stored energy into forward motion at a maximum speed of 11.5 knots.
A shipyard official described the vessel as “a combination of green and smart shipbuilding,” a phrase that captures both its environmental ambition and its technical complexity.
Unlike cars that simply recharge overnight, this vessel offers two options for replenishing energy: high-voltage shore connections or a complete swap of the ten battery containers for pre-charged units.
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