By the Brooklyn Eagle Staff
The city government and the Trust for Governors Island released plans on Wednesday to create the first-ever hybrid vessel in the ferry fleet.
According to the mayor’s office, it will be launched next summer, traveling between Governors Island and Manhattan through the New York Harbor.
The new ferry will be equipped with a hybrid propulsion system that will reduce air pollution by allowing it to toggle between zero-emission battery-only power and battery-assisted hybrid with diesel backup.
The battery-assist mode will allow the new ferry to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 600 tons annually. Future plans for rapid vessel charging installation will enable the ferry to operate with zero-emission battery-only propulsion, at which point emissions will drop to nearly zero.
After criticism from the public and city officials last summer, ferry usage in Brooklyn is remaining steady. The city’s restoration of the stop at India Street in Greenpoint last November – and the new hybrid Governors Island Ferry – shows the high potential of ferry transit in waterfront neighborhoods.
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