World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Ferry Embarks

For people who live on the water,  ferries can be great alternatives to other, land-bound types of transportation. Now, passengers in San Francisco, California can ride a ferry secure in the knowledge that it does not use diesel fuels. This new boat, called Sea Change, runs on hydrogen.

Reducing the world’s greenhouse gasses
The world’s first hydrogen powered ferry glides smoothly through the waters of the San Francisco Bay, from The Ferry Building to Pier 41, Fast Company reports. The hydrogen technology was developed by Zero Emissions Industries.

What makes the boat differant from other ferries isn't just how it is fueled, the Sea Change is also quieter becase ot its all electric drive, according to said Joe Pratt, CEO of Zero Emission. “What that means is you don’t have the engine noise. You don’t have the vibration. It’s kind of like a really big sailboat that’s just cruising silently through the bay,” he says.

The ferry is seventy feet long and can carry seventy five people in its journey to and fro. It is powered by hydrogen that is converted to electricity by fuel cells that are located behind the main cabin.

Though there are other types of electric ferries, run on batteries, being inaugurated throughout the world, hydrogen power is a much more versatile technology. Batteries are very heavy and can limit the distances that the ferries can travel. Likewise, battery-run ferries are often designed for a specific context- to run across a specific body of water a specific number of times a day. This means they cannot be sold and used in other places. 

The Sea Change, on the other hand, reports  AP News, can travel three hundred nautical miles, and up to sixteen hours before it needs to refuel. In addition, the ferry is refueled via truck just like diesel run boats are. This means there is no need to install any new type of infrastructure in order to keep it up and running. 

This type of technology could eventually be used on boats and ships of all kinds, helping make the shipping industry, which is responsible for three percent of the world’s greenhouse gasses, a lot more environmentally friendly, according to Fast Company. 

Could be greener
There are reasons for concern, mainly regarding the extent to which hydrogen based technologies are actually environmentally friendly. Currently, most hydrogen is produced using natural gas, which is not exactly carbon dioxide free. 

However, the hope is that eventually Sea Change and other vehicles like it could use hydrogen produced by more environmentally friendly methods such as water and renewable electricity. 

“We think it’s a huge step to clean up the vessel — getting these diesel fumes off the water,” Pratt, tells Fast Company.

While the technology could be greener, these new attempts to make water travel more environmentally friendly are giant steps in the right direction.The important thing is that there is effort and time being invested into finding solutions that will make the planet healthier and cleaner. 

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