Electric water taxis? Metro gets grant to sail in that direction

| Environment | King County Water Taxi | Transportation | West Seattle news

(WSB photo: Diesel-powered Water Taxi M/V Sally Fox, as seen Tuesday at Seacrest)

You’ve likely heard about Washington State Ferries‘ plan to build electric vessels. Our area’s foot-ferry fleet, Metro Transit‘s King County Water Taxi, is moving that way too. In a recent newsletter, District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka mentioned that the Puget Sound Regional Council‘s Executive Board – on which he serves – had approved funding for “electrification improvements” to the Water Taxi. (The money originates with federal highway and transit funds, Saka added.) So we asked Metro’s Al Sanders for details. He tells WSB:

As part of Metro’s transition to becoming a zero-emission fleet, the Marine Division is researching the technology available that will allow the Water Taxis to go from using diesel-powered vessels to sailing with ships that use hybrid and/or battery-electric power.

The $1.7 million grant awarded by the Puget Sound Regional Council will be used on the design and engineering of new electric vessels and associated charging infrastructure needed to support the fleet. The grant would be used to initiate the design of two new 150-passenger battery electric vessels, along with the design of shoreside vessel charging and other electrical infrastructure at Pier 50.

When in service, the vessels will reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with water taxi service in support of the King County Strategic Climate Action Plan.

Sanders says the design work hasn’t started, so there’s no timeline for this yet. The two current Water Taxis, M/V Doc Maynard and M/V Sally Fox, were both launched in 2015, at a total cost of $11.8 million, also mostly from federal funding.

Guy Olson August 21, 2024 (2:29 pm)

You two and your puns👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Alki Parent August 21, 2024 (2:37 pm)

Sounds great!

KJ August 21, 2024 (3:06 pm)

150 passengers?? This would be quite the step backwards, the current boats hold about 275 right now.

Tom August 21, 2024 (4:16 pm)

How often are they at capacity? Not often, as far as I’ve seen. Could add additional sailings at peak times if needed to make up.
- KJ August 21, 2024 (5:48 pm)
  
  I bet they are over 150 more than you think. Especially at peak times and during special events. It isn’t as simple as adding more runs since that would require more staffing and not easily done on the fly. I know I’ve asked the employee with the clicker what number I was and several times it was above 150.
- SpencerGT August 21, 2024 (9:47 pm)
  
  My experience is that the boats are generally not near capacity.

Al King August 21, 2024 (4:37 pm)

Between electrifying ferries and requiring cruise ships to plug in and promoting electric vehicles and other electric requirements still haven’t heard if the infrastructure will handle it and more importantly how will they generate all the needed electricity. Will it all be clean energy?

Morgan August 21, 2024 (5:26 pm)

Why not LNG? Or green hydrogen? Full electric boats with less capacity feels like awkward transitional step.

22blades August 21, 2024 (7:25 pm)

I don’t think we can wait for the perfect solution. I think it will be an evolving & maturing technology. (I do like Hydrogen though. It’s a bit more matured in Japan.)
- Morgan August 21, 2024 (8:20 pm)
  
  Hydrogen on a boat rather than batteries feels like safer option…not such an under developed tech. And state/country are also making big hydrogen investments. Boats are a big purchase that have to last decades…I hear not waiting on the perfect for things like passenger cars. But ferry/taxi capex seems like better to get right choice.
  - Neighbor August 21, 2024 (9:21 pm)
    
    There have been electric boats for about as long as there have been diesel boats. Maybe longer. It’s far more mature than hydrogen combustion or hydrogen fuel cells, neither of which he ever been deployed commercially in transportation. Where do we get the hydrogen? How do we make up for the massive lack of energy density? It’s deadend tech.