New Zealand electric ferry design and technology company EV Maritime has been commissioned by Angel Island Tiburon Ferry (AITF)to design an all-new hybrid electric vessel for the San Francisco-based fleet.
The project will additionally see the electrification of two existing vessels alongside the construction of a new plug-in hybrid vessel. Funding has been agreed from the California Air Resources Board . The hybrid vessel will be designed and engineered by EV Maritime with electrical integration provided by San Francisco Bay company ZeroMar.
This project builds on EV Maritime’s current work in introducing electric ferries to Auckland, New Zealand, a project directly supported by the central government. The new contact will be EV Maritime’s first in the US and is regarded as an important marker in cleantech collaboration between the two nations.
AITF currently operates three vessels providing ferry service between Tiburon and Angel Island, as well as private charters and special cruises. AITF, established by the McDonogh family in 1959 and now run by Capt Maggie McDonogh, sees the new vessel as a ground-breaking move towards sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Michael Eaglen, CEO EV Maritime said: “This is a very exciting project, and we are looking forward to working with Maggie and her team. As a provider of transportation to a State Park, and a host to numerous visitors to the Bay, Angel Island Tiburon Ferry is already conscious of their leadership role. This project will be a powerful example for others to follow. This new vessel will be plug-in hybrid, able to operate fully electric on shorter routes but with hybrid capability for longer range service. By using EV Maritime’s efficiency-optimised hull form and carbon fibre composite construction, this plug-in hybrid vessel will dramatically reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. We are proud to serve as AITF’s design partner for this landmark project. One of the core values of EV Maritime is not just to electrify vessels, but to spread the understanding that electric ferries can be a more attractive, more reliable and more accessible form of public transportation. We maintain our commitment to decarbonizing every harbor in the world by starting with ferries, and we are delighted to have AITF as an ambassador for electrification in the San Francisco Bay.”
McDonogh added: “I am truly excited by the opportunity to work with EV Maritime and to bring their remarkable designs to California. It was very fortuitous to meet Michael at a ferry conference that he was presenting at; he is a remarkable person and I am positive that this will be an enduring relationship. As a fourth-generation captain, and as a woman-owned micro business in a small town we are so fortunate to have this opportunity. I can’t thank EV Maritime enough, and the countless others that made this possible, for making this project a reality. Not only is going electric the right thing to do, I see it as our moral obligation to preserve the environment for future generations. Converting our existing boats, which are still fully serviceable, is a no-brainer effort with a low carbon footprint. As for the boat we are building, I am confident that this new vessel packed with cutting-edge electric technology will stand as a shining example of what is possible.”
Image: Two of AITF’s existing ferries will be electrified, while EV Maritime is designing and engineering a new hybrid vessel (source: Angel Island Tiburon Ferry)
