San Francisco starts revolutionary electrical ferries for environmentally friendly mobility!

San Francisco starts revolutionary electrical ferries for environmentally friendly mobility!

The first fully electric high -speed ferries in the USA will soon be commissioned for the San Francisco Bay Ferry. According to Econews offer. This innovative project is part of the Rapid Electric Emission Free (Reef) Ferry Program of the San Francisco Bay Ferry, with the aim of switching the entire fleet to emission -free drive technologies.

The new ferries will serve the routes between Treasure Island and Mission Bay to Downtown San Francisco. Wärtsilä is responsible for the development of ship and charging systems. This includes a complete electrical drive system, which includes an energy and performance management system (EPMS), an integrated automation system (IAS) and the entire battery and engine technology. The delivery of the Wäthilä equipment is planned for 2026, while the first ferry is expected to be put into operation in early 2027

technical details on the ferries

The first electrical ferries are constructed in accordance with the standards of the US Coast Guard (USCG) Subchapter T. They measure 30 meters in length, 7.9 meters in width and have a depth of 1.8 meters. Your operating speed will be 24 nodes, which makes you one of the fastest environmentally friendly options in water traffic.

The Reef Ferry Program aims not only to build these new ferries, but also to transform existing ships. In particular, the conversion of 400 passenger ferries in the hydrus class to battery-electric models should take place. Overall, the program provides for the electrification of up to 11 additional small or medium ferries, as is explained on sanfranciscobayferry.com

progress in emission -free shipping

The initiative for the development of emission -free ferries is not alone. In an international framework, the EU-wide tram project relies on modularization in order to make the construction of such ships faster and cheaper. This technology enables the use of reusable building blocks, which makes shipbuilding more efficient, as the Fraunhofer IEM explains in a press release. Development processes can be optimized by using Model-Based Systems Engineering, which enables up to 70 percent of the development time and 25 percent of the manufacturing costs.

The success of these projects, such as the MedStraum ferry in Norway, proves the potential of emission -free shipping. Even though the med space has been operated since summer 2022, the industry shows a growing interest in sustainable solutions. In particular, the integration of water and land mobility in mobility concepts is considered crucial in order to cope with the challenges of urban transport infrastructure.

For the future of sustainable traffic solutions, it will be crucial to continue to invest in innovative technologies and infrastructure in order to make mobility more environmentally friendly