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Washington’s first battery ferry ready to enter service in July
Kitsap Sun ^ | 7/11/2025 | Tom Banse

Posted on 07/11/2025 6:21:23 PM PDT by verum ago

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(Added emphasis is mine)

Great news guys! Washington has a ferry capable of running of battery power!

...It just doesn't have any way of charging those batteries except its onboard diesels, and won't for at least 4 years, and that's according to those who have an interest in fudging the timetable. It was supposed to early next year, but just California's high speed rail, I'm gonna classify their timeline as "maybe eventually".

$133,000,000 for a ship that can run on batteries, but has no charger. Heck, the charging system doesn't even have a valid design yet.

So, in summary:

The lede:
Washington’s first plug-in ferry will begin shuttling cars and passengers across Puget Sound by the end of next week.

Reality:
there's nothing to plug it into, and they don't even have a design for it!
1 posted on 07/11/2025 6:21:23 PM PDT by verum ago
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To: verum ago
"$133,000,000 for a ship that can run on batteries, but has no charger."

What could go wrong? And I bet some politicians and their big donors got a cut of that money.

2 posted on 07/11/2025 6:25:47 PM PDT by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
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To: verum ago
$133,000,000 for a ship that can run on batteries, but has no charger.

There are no words...

3 posted on 07/11/2025 6:26:49 PM PDT by GOPJ (Democrats judge themselves by thier 'intentions' NOT by their results. It's one reason they fail.)
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To: verum ago
Oh yeah, almost forgot. Just gonna leave this here:

Ontario's electric ferries are still running on diesel, and costs are adding up

They "converted" 7 years ago...
4 posted on 07/11/2025 6:27:33 PM PDT by verum ago (I figure some people must truly be in love, for only love can be so blind.)
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To: verum ago

Suggestion - let electric cars ride for free, and hook up their batteries to the engines. Then have tow trucks to tow the cars to charging stations, and charge them $75.00 per tow.


5 posted on 07/11/2025 6:28:45 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: verum ago

Any idea when the batteries will catch on fire, and the ferry will sink? The article doesn’t say.

Side point: Submarines used to run on battery power when submerged. But those boats were designed and run by serious adults. That’s almost certainly not the case here.


6 posted on 07/11/2025 6:30:29 PM PDT by Leaning Right (It's morning in America. Again.)
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To: verum ago

Hopefully, the batteries won’t blow up.
Puget Sound is not warm. You have to wear a suit to go scuba diving up there even in summer and the water is cold and dark.


7 posted on 07/11/2025 6:31:09 PM PDT by doc maverick
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To: verum ago

I really enjoy the renewable energy porn and there’s no shortage of it just like there’s no shortage of the not very bright and ignorant politicians and “environmentalists” that push it.

And we all know they’re ‘played’ by the grifters but we tax payers have to pay that bill.


8 posted on 07/11/2025 6:34:28 PM PDT by KamperKen (u)
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To: verum ago

The bad news: you’re stuck in the middle of Puget Sound waiting for the solar panels to recharge the batteries. The worse news: it’s raining. Welcome to the Pacific Northwest.


9 posted on 07/11/2025 6:34:59 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: verum ago

What happens when you get a battery fire on a ferry?

Thousands and thousands of pounds of battery.


10 posted on 07/11/2025 6:38:37 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: verum ago

It is like a train engine except it’s hauling a lot of expensive batteries.


11 posted on 07/11/2025 6:39:42 PM PDT by alternatives?
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To: verum ago

In before the TG!


12 posted on 07/11/2025 6:42:05 PM PDT by BobL
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To: verum ago

And imagine an EV catching fire while ON the ferry - break out the weenies!


13 posted on 07/11/2025 6:42:07 PM PDT by decal (They won't stop, so they'll have to be stopped)
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To: alternatives?
It is like a train engine except it’s hauling a lot of expensive batteries.

You know, it's a fair point that the diesel-electric part is actually a significant improvement in efficiency, at least according to the article. There's a reason trains don't use mechanical transmissions anymore.

But yup, she's hauling around a lot of deadweight for no practical reason.
14 posted on 07/11/2025 6:42:12 PM PDT by verum ago (I figure some people must truly be in love, for only love can be so blind.)
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To: decal
And imagine an EV catching fire while ON the ferry - break out the weenies!

Well, it's Seattle, so it's probably ground bug or vegan weenies, so ewww...
15 posted on 07/11/2025 6:44:05 PM PDT by verum ago (I figure some people must truly be in love, for only love can be so blind.)
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To: verum ago

What I like about hybrid ferries is that when you step on the brake, say for a red light or going downhill, the batteries recharge. That should save them a lot of carbon emission.


16 posted on 07/11/2025 6:44:43 PM PDT by BobL
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To: verum ago

“Washington’s fifty-fourth diesel-electric ferry” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.


17 posted on 07/11/2025 6:44:50 PM PDT by Rinnwald
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To: verum ago

After roasting them in several thousand degree heat, it may not matter...


18 posted on 07/11/2025 6:46:13 PM PDT by decal (They won't stop, so they'll have to be stopped)
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To: decal

“And imagine an EV catching fire while ON the ferry - break out the weenies!”

Once an EV fire on a ferry kills several hundred people I really doubt they’ll continue to be allowed.


19 posted on 07/11/2025 6:46:28 PM PDT by BobL
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To: verum ago

Bob “The “Grandmother Slayer” Ferguson.


20 posted on 07/11/2025 6:47:53 PM PDT by Robwin ( )
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