Electric Vehicles

New Zealand builds first zero-emissions commuter ferry in southern hemisphere

Published by

The Driven

The New Zealand capital of Wellington is on track to become the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to boast its own locally-designed and made zero-emissions electric ferry.

Not content with their country proposing a Clean Car bill and becoming one of the first countries worldwide to enshrine a commitment to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement in a carbon bill, a team of Wellington boat builders are now focussed on bringing carbon-free transport to the water by mid-2020.

Under the moniker Wellington Electric Boat Building Company, they are currently the putting finishing touches to the hulls of a new electric catamaran ferry contracted for the Wellington Harbour ferry service East by West Ferries.

Once this initial stage is all done and dusted, the team plans to take the hulls to the Seaview Marina in Wellington where the next stage of the project will begin.

By mid-2020, it is hoped that the 19m long and 7m wide ferry, which will be powered by two electric motors offering a top speed of 20 knots, will be ready to carry a maximum of 135 passengers across Wellington Harbour six times a day.

To read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…

Bridie Schmidt is lead reporter for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She specialises in writing about new technology, and has a keen interest in the role that zero emissions transport has to play in sustainability.

Bridie Schmidt

Bridie Schmidt is lead reporter for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She specialises in writing about new technology, and has a keen interest in the role that zero emissions transport has to play in sustainability.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

“Precipitous:” Builder of Australia’s biggest battery sees big cost falls, compares grid to “pearl necklace”

The builder of Australia's biggest battery project describes the country's long stringy grid as like…

20 December 2024

New wind output record arrives in time for evening peak

Australia's biggest coal grid witnesses record output of wind energy - in the evening peak.

20 December 2024

From breakfast to bedtime: How first big solar battery is cashing in on evening demand peaks

The first big solar battery hybrid is cashing in on demand peaks, providing power until…

20 December 2024

It’s getting hot down under: Hot rock geothermal energy is making a comeback in Australia

A new wave of geothermal energy companies are emerging, and they're using shale gas tech…

19 December 2024

Albanese’s four new coal mine extension approvals could crash the Safeguard Mechanism 

The Albanese government approved a batch of four coal mines on Thursday, including a super-emitting…

19 December 2024

Coal-fired generators escape claims of unlawful bidding and market manipulation 

Landmark compensation claim against coal generation companies has been dismissed, with the court finding that…

19 December 2024