Marin County’s Angel Island ferry slated to be electrified

Launch is planned for early 2024 of a electrically-powered vessel to ferry passengers from the Marin County shoreline community of Tiburon to Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay and back.

“We are very excited that the Angel Island will be the first of the short-run ferries in California to be 100% zero-emission, as our company continues supporting the natural environment of the Bay and our beautiful state park,” said Captain Maggie McDonogh, fourth-generation owner and operator of the Angel Island Ferry.

The plan is being executed under a partnership between the Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry Company and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). California-based Green Yachts has signed on to convey the 59-foot, 400-passenger vessel to electric power and the utility will upgrade the ferry terminal’s infrastructure to allow “fast charging” of a boat.

An electric semi-truck requires 2 kilowatt-hours of battery storage to go 1 mile, but the Angel Island ferry would call for 30 kilowatt-hours to go 1 mile, according to Graham Balch, managing broker of Green Yachts,

“The increased energy requirement per mile shows the significant challenge associated with electrifying the marine sector,” Balch said.

Angel Island Ferry has been providing ferry service since 1959 and brings tens of thousands of visitors annually to Angel Island State Park from the town of Tiburon in Marin County