According to recent reports, a partnership between SW/TCH Maritime and Golden Gate Zero Emission Marine will expedite the launch of the first zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell ferry in San Francisco, California this fall.
The 84-passenger ferry, named the ‘Water Go Round’, is currently under construction at the Bay Ship & Yacht shipyard in Alameda, California. It will begin transporting commuters across San Francisco Bay in September. With private funding from SW/TCH and a three million USD grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the ferry is expected to offer commuters a clean transportation alternative to Bay area traffic.
This ‘e-ferry’ will rely on all-electric propulsion powered either by batteries charged with shore power or hydrogen fuel cells, bypassing the need to burn carbon-intensive fossil fuels. As such a zero-emission initiative is only possible with considerable investment in new fueling infrastructure, SW/TCH Maritime is also partnering with Clean Marine Energy (CME) to build onshore electric charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure.
The ‘Water Go Round’ will be the first in a of a fleet of zero-emission ferries operating all over the United States.
Image Courtesy of SW/TCH.