Today, Cummins announced it would power hydrogen fuel cells into North America’s first commercial hydrogen fuel cell-powered ferry. Therefore, the 70-foot, 75 passengers, zero-emission “Sea Change” will be the first hydrogen-powered ferry in the bay area of San Francisco.
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Cummins on its new hydrogen-powered ferry for North America
Furthermore, the project aims to demonstrate and test fuel-cell-powered marine vessels’ potential commercialization in the global maritime industry.
Earlier today, the design, manufacture, and distribution multinational corporation for engine distribution, filtration, and power generation, Cummins, announced it would power hydrogen fuel cells into North America’s first commercial hydrogen-powered ferry.
In this regard, “Sea Change” will be a 70-foot, 75 passengers, zero-emission ferry. Furthermore, it will be the flagship for a planned future fuel cell-powered fleet in the bay area of San Francisco.
Moreover, Cummins aims to demonstrate and test fuel-cell-powered marine vessels’ potential commercialization in the global maritime industry through this project.
Thus, the Sea Change will be powered by Cummins’ 360kW fuel cell, reaching speeds up to 22 knots. Accordingly, the company will supply hydrogen to the fuel cell creating electricity to run the electric motors and turn the vessel’s propellers.
The ferry is in the final phases of construction. Besides, it is set to begin sea trials later this year.
Decarbonization efforts in the maritime industry
According to Cummins, fuel cells are an attractive solution for the decarbonization of marine vessels for several reasons. For instance, they are zero emissions, silent and scalable.
Plus, they are flexible because they transport power from the fuel cells through wires. Therefore, the fuel cells can be placed almost anywhere on the vessel. In the Sea Change case, these are used in a room at the back of the main cabin. On the other hand, the hydrogen storage tanks are up at the top deck.
SWITCH Maritime owns the ferry. Also, this project counts with $3 million grant funding from the California Air Resources Board. In fact, these funds come from the California Climate Investments initiative.
Furthermore, Cummins declared it is not stopping with zero-emission ferries. Therefore, the company’s alternative power solutions will continue to power across the port ecosystem.
Finally, this includes battery-electric terminal tractors and six Class 8 fuel-cell-powered drayage trucks. These will transport goods from ships to warehouses in Southern California. Additionally, Cummins is designing and building hydrogen fuel cell generator systems to supply both stationary and portable port power.
