San Francisco Bay Ferry has been awarded a $12.5 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) to bring zero-emission, battery-electric ferry service to the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal in Alameda.
The award, announced on October 24, advances SF Bay Ferry’s Rapid Electric Emission-Free Ferry (REEF) Program , a transformative suite of projects to transition the agency’s fleet to zero-emission propulsion technology. The grant, provided through CalSTA’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), will support procurement and installation of an electrified universal charging float with battery storage, electric vessel charging infrastructure, and terminal modernization at the existing Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal.
“SF Bay Ferry is committed to providing the region with the nation’s first zero-emission fleet of fast ferries and we are making tremendous progress thanks to this latest investment from the Newsom Administration,” said Jim Wunderman, Chair of SF Bay Ferry’s Board of Directors. “California understands that decarbonizing the transportation sector is essential to meeting the State’s ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals and this project makes Harbor Bay’s ferry service a part of that effort.”
This grant leverages $5 million awarded for the project by the California Energy Commission and $4 million in additional local matching funds. The project will expand electric propulsion ferry service to the Harbor Bay route by providing the necessary infrastructure for fully electric ferries to rapidly charge while docked at the location. It will also increase electric vehicle charging capacity for ferry riders and improve operational safety at the terminal…