San Francisco Takes Steps to Electrify Bay Ferries

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the San Francisco Bay Ferry and Port of San Francisco a $55 million grant to build an electric 400-passenger ship, a new terminal, and other electrification infrastructure that will pave the way for a fully electric ferry network.

As James Salazar explains in the San Francisco Examiner, “The Mission Bay Ferry Landing, which has been in the works since 2016, will connect travelers to spaces in the neighborhood, like Agua Vista Park. Elected officials said constructing the terminal will make it convenient for Bay Area residents to get to places like concerts and Golden State Warriors basketball games at Chase Center, or even UCSF’s Mission Bay campus.” The project will also create new connections for neighborhoods that currently don’t have easy access to the waterfront. 

San Francisco Bay Ferry also used a federal grant received in September to purchase three electric 150-passenger vessels. “Designs and permits for the 400-passenger vessel and the Mission Bay ferry landing are both finalized, [Port of San Francisco executive director Elaine Forbes] said, meaning that all San Francisco Bay Ferry will have to do is order the float and build the landing.”