New York City has introduced its first hybrid-electric ferry, named Harbor Charger, to provide a cleaner transportation option to Governors Island. This vessel, which began service recently, marks a significant advancement in sustainable maritime transport. With a hybrid design that allows it to run on electric power part of the time, it aims to replace an older diesel ferry and reduce air pollution and operational costs. The ferry is part of a broader movement toward greener ferries in the United States, although funding challenges remain.
Just off the chaotic coastline of Lower Manhattan sits Governors Island, a tranquil oasis of tree-lined paths that the city is transforming into a hub for climate change research. Getting there, however, has long meant riding on a diesel-burning ferry that spews soot and planet-warming gases as it zips across the New York Harbor. A new ferry now provides visitors a much cleaner way to reach the 172-acre island. Harbor Charger, a hybrid-electric vessel, entered into service last week. The boat is the first of its kind in New York state — and it’s one of only a handful of hybrid-electric ferries to operate nationwide. On Aug. 12, elected officials and other leaders joined the ferry’s inaugural cruise around the harbor, roasting in the late-summer heat on the outside car deck. “We’re proud to be charting the course for sustainable maritime transportation,” said Clare Newman, president and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island, a nonprofit created by New York City to redevelop the island. Later, Newman smashed a champagne bottle on the stern to christen the new vessel.
The $33 million Harbor Charger operates like an incredibly robust Toyota Prius. The boat’s diesel-fueled generators charge up the 870-kilowatt-hour battery system, allowing the vessel to run partly or fully on electricity during the eight-minute trip to or from the island. The ferry will eventually plug in directly to a shoreside rapid-charging station, using the generators only as emergency backup, but the charging infrastructure hasn’t yet been built. Harbor Charger, which can fit up to 1,200 people and 30 vehicles, will replace its 69-year-old predecessor named Lt. Samuel S. Coursen. The older ferry guzzles an average of 420 gallons of diesel per day, so switching to the hybrid vessel is expected to save the city over $200,000 per year in fuel costs, according to the Trust for Governors Island. The new boat will also significantly reduce air pollution and slash carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 600 tons per year when running in hybrid mode. Once it can plug in, the vessel will curb CO2 by an additional 800 tons.
Nationwide, many of the nearly 620 ferries plying waterways rely on decades-old, inefficient diesel engines, making them some of the largest emitters among commercial harbor craft. The vessels also typically operate around densely populated communities, exposing people to health-harming pollutants such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions. “Diesel ferries are an important part of our transportation system, but continuing to spew the fumes that diesel leaves and … burn that fuel in the middle of our cities does not make any sense,” New York state Sen. Brian Kavanagh (D) said from the gently humming Harbor Charger. Skyscrapers towered in the distance as helicopters and seaplanes soared noisily overhead.
The newly built Harbor Charger is the second hybrid-electric ferry to launch in the U.S. this summer. In July, Washington State Ferries began running the renovated Wenatchee — a 27-year-old diesel ferry that underwent a $96 million conversion to become a Prius of the seas. The giant ferry can carry nearly 2,500 passengers and over 200 vehicles on a route between Seattle and Bainbridge Island. Siemens Energy outfitted both ferries with its hybrid technology. The German manufacturer recently equipped a new hybrid-electric ferry in Galveston, Texas, and is in the process of retrof
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