First hybrid-electric
ferry arrives in Victoria
Watercolour and oil
pastel
Charlene Brown
BC Ferries have taken delivery of the
first two of several hybrid-electric ferries that will go into service on some
of the short runs between the mainland, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. They
came from Romania via the Mediterranean, Atlantic Ocean and Panama Canal on a partially submersible transport vessel, then were towed under the Johnson Street Bridge into the Upper Harbour Shipyards
where they will be prepped for service.
(Their working routes will not in fact take them under the Johnson Street bridge as shown in the painting above, which is based on a photo by Darren Stone of the Times Colonist newspaper.)
(Their working routes will not in fact take them under the Johnson Street bridge as shown in the painting above, which is based on a photo by Darren Stone of the Times Colonist newspaper.)
The new ferries are
designed to be configured for full-electric operation, but until the
infrastructure for on-shore charging is in place will operate on diesel-generated, battery-stored electricity. So, not a complete switch to clean energy, but one of many important first steps in transitioning to net zero emission of GHGs that
we must accomplish by 2050.
