Victoria Harbour Ferry triples its electric fleet

Andrew Duffy / Times Colonist,
July 26, 2016 06:00 AM

Victoria Harbour Ferry will add two new zero-emission vessels to its fleet before the end of this month.

The company, which put its first electric passenger vessel into the water last summer, will add two more on Saturday to carry passengers along the company’s 60-minute cruise of the Gorge Waterway.

“We’ve been experiencing growing demand across our operations and decided to expand our fleet of electric vessels rather than bring more diesel boats into service,” said Nick Samsom, president of Victoria Harbour Ferry. “The move to electric boats makes economic sense for our company and it aligns with our commitment to keep the waterway clean and pristine.”

Samsom noted the 26-year-old company has played a significant role in revitalizing the waterway by transporting cleanup volunteers and helping to remove debris.

The difference between using three electric vessels on the route and three diesel-fuelled boats is about 8,000 litres of fuel per season. The electric vessels are propelled by a 3.5-horsepower electric engine powered by 16 batteries.
Read more here.

Also, a post from the Douglas Magazine:

Victoria Harbour Ferry Expands Zero-Emission Fleet

Douglas Magazine, July 26, 2016

You could call it the quiet revolution. After the successful launch last year of its first electric passenger vessel, Victoria Harbour Ferry is adding two more of the silent, zero-emission vessels to its fleet on July 30.

The three all-electric passenger ferries will serve the company’s popular Gorge Cruise, making the scenic 60-minute tour of Victoria’s historic Gorge waterway 100 per cent zero-emission.

“We’ve been experiencing growing demand across our operations and decided to expand our fleet of electric vessels rather than bring more diesel boats into service,” said Barry Hobbis, Vice President of Operations at Victoria Harbour Ferry. “The move to electric boats makes economic sense for our company and it aligns with our commitment to keep the waterway clean and pristine.”