‘Flying above the waves': Victoria demo offers glimpse of electric passenger ferry future
Sleek, white, and appearing to hover above the surface of the water, a Belfast-built hydrofoil put on a show outside of Victoria on Monday.
And if things play out the right way, a larger version of the 12-person all-electric water taxi could one day be plying the waters of British Columbia.
'This has the potential to be zero-emission, low wake, ultra quiet and use two-thirds less fuel than any comparable technology, and that means this could be a game changer for the number of routes we provide to British Columbians,' said Mark Collins, CEO of FRS Clipper.
'There's lots of places in B.C. that can be connected by water, much more efficiently than connected by roads — but we've got to have on-water technology that is cost-effective and sustainable to operate and that's what we think this is.'
Story continues below advertisement
1:46
Electric passenger ferry plans for Howe Sound
Monday's demo was hosted by Collins' company, which operates the Victoria-Seattle Clipper, and Greenline Ferries, which hopes to soon launch an electric ferry service connecting downtown Vancouver with Bowen Island and Gibsons. Both are evaluating the technology for possible use in B.C. waters.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The 12-passenger version of the vessels, which rely on four battery banks, is already in service in the UK, the EU and the Middle East, said David Tyler, co-founder of Artemis Technologies.
A larger version capable of carrying up to 150 people, powered by two dozen batteries, is hitting the water soon, with the first three to deploy in Belfast, southern England and Scotland.
The company has roots in the racing world, a spinoff from Artemis Racing's America's Cup team, building on the same hydrofoil technology that allows the racing vessels to travel at ultra-high speeds.
Story continues below advertisement
The vessels are built on a 'wing' beneath the water that allows the hull to pop above the surface.
'We are flying above the waves,' he explained.
'And because we are reducing the drag and we are using anywhere between 70 and 90 per cent less energy, so it s really a game changer in terms of operational costs.'
The vessels are also quieter than a traditional vessel and offer a more gentle passenger experience, potentially reducing seasickness.
They also produce a much smaller wake, something Tyler said has earned them an exemption to operate at five times Belfast Harbour's five-knot speed limit.
Callum Campbell, CEO of Greenline Ferries, said it was important to get a good look at currently existing all-electric technology.
1:13
Next steps for proposed Howe Sound eclectic passenger ferry
'You can use fewer batteries, you can go further, and you can go faster, so this is the kind of technology that is really important to consider,' he said.
Story continues below advertisement
Collins said the Monday's demo was about assessing whether the technology is sustainable, which would allow the company to build a business case around its use.
He said even the larger version of the hydrofoil is likely still too small for its Victoria route, but wouldn't rule out a future where they operated more than one at a time, or explored other routes.
Greenline, meanwhile, doesn't have a firm launch date for its operations — though it said in February it was hopeful it could be running within two years.
Vancouver City Council and the Vancouver Park Board both recently approved motions aimed at helping the company establish its Vancouver terminal at the Harbour Green dock in Coal Harbour.
But he's bullish about the future of passenger ferries on the South Coast, noting the Nanaimo-Vancouver Hullo ferry route is doing well.
'Anywhere where you can connect the heart of one community to the heart of another, that's an opportunity for a passenger-only ferry,' he said.
'It's really time to redraw the map. We've had this map in B.C. where ferry routes go; it was kind of established in the 1960s. It's really time to add new lines to that map that go beyond what people have when they are driving a car.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
New housing agency will prioritize Canadian-made projects, document shows
Prime Minister Mark Carney's promised new entity to spur massive amounts of housing construction will prioritize the building of affordable housing and the use of Canadian materials, says a consultation document published by the government on Monday. The document shared by Canada's housing department says Build Canada Homes is also intended to accelerate the speed at which federal lands are converted to housing, and to stress the use of materials, manufacturing and construction methods that reduce the cost and environmental impact of building. It says financial and non-financial tools being explored include loans, equity investments, real property and housing investments, loan guarantees and contributions. The department is still working on the program's design and says it's accepting feedback from the public until the end of the month. The document, released as part of a consultation process with builders and other industry stakeholders, says Build Canada Homes is positioned to support projects that deliver a 'significant number' of affordable housing units. Story continues below advertisement It also says the government will look at projects that expand the supply of housing run by organizations like co-ops, non-profits and Indigenous housing providers. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The document says the government will look for opportunities to use Canadian-made materials and regional production hubs, and to boost the efficiency of public dollars through tools like below-market-rate loans or private or philanthropic capital. It will also prioritize projects that use new methods of construction, like prefabricated or 3D-printed construction. 2:06 Business Matters: Canada's weak condo market leaves potential house buyers 'kind of stuck' Housing affordability was a major issue in the recent federal election, as there haven't been enough homes built in Canada to keep up with population growth. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said in a June report that Canada needs to build between 430,000 and 480,000 new housing units over the next decade, to bring housing costs back to where they were before the pandemic. Story continues below advertisement Carney promised in his election platform that his government would invest $6 billion in the Build Canada Homes initiative. The platform said Build Canada Homes would act as a developer to build affordable housing at scale, including on public lands. It also promised to provide over $25 billion in financing to prefabricated homebuilders in Canada, support affordable homebuilders and incentivize companies to hire apprentices and recent graduates by establishing new requirements on federal contribution agreements to major projects. Caroline Desrochers, parliamentary secretary to the minister of housing and infrastructure, said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press that the government is exploring options for Build Canada Homes, which could potentially become a separate agency or a unit within Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada. She said the government is aiming to launch the program in the fall and is 'going to start doing work right now with what we have already' while exploring the best governance for the entity. Desrochers said the goal is to not create 'more layers of bureaucracy and approvals.' Desrochers said representatives from the government and the CMHC are on a task force created to develop the options for the new program. She said the government is also in discussion with several promoters and modular and prefabricated home companies to see what projects are ready for funding and to be built.
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
China adds ‘additional pressure' with new tariffs on Canadian canola
China on Tuesday announced preliminary anti-dumping duties on Canadian canola imports, a fresh escalation in the year-long trade dispute that began with Ottawa's imposition of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports last August. The provisional rate will be set at 75.8 per cent, effective from Thursday, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. ICE November canola futures fell four per cent to a three-month low after the announcement. China, the world's largest importer of canola – also known as rapeseed – sources nearly all of its supplies of the product from Canada. The steep duties would likely all but end imports if they are maintained. 'This is huge. Who will pay a 75 per cent deposit to bring Canadian canola to China? It is like telling Canada that we don't need your canola, thank you very much,' said one Singapore-based oilseed trader. Story continues below advertisement China's Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday an anti-dumping probe launched in September 2024 had found Canada's agricultural sector and particularly the canola industry had benefited from 'substantial' government subsidies and preferential policies. 1:49 Alberta farmers brace for China's 100% tariff on Canola oil and meals China has until September, when the investigation formally ends, to make a final decision on the duties, though it has the option of extending that deadline by six months. A final ruling could result in a different rate, or overturn Tuesday's decision. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The decision marks a shift from the conciliatory tone struck in June when China's Premier Li Qiang said there were no deep-seated conflicts of interest between the countries during a phone call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. 'This move… will put additional pressure on Canada's government to sort through trade frictions with China,' said Trivium China agriculture analyst Even Rogers Pay. Story continues below advertisement The Canadian embassy in Beijing did not respond to a request for comment. Separately, China also launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian pea starch and imposed provisional duties on imports of halogenated butyl rubber, according to ministry statements. Replacing millions of tons of Canadian canola is likely to be difficult at short notice, say analysts. China primarily uses imported canola to make animal feed for its aquaculture sector. A separate duty on Canadian canola meal imports in March has already put these supplies at risk. The move provides an opportunity for Australia, which looks set to regain access to the Chinese market with a few test cargoes this year after a years-long freeze in the trade, Pay said. Australia, the second-largest canola exporter, has been shut out of the Chinese market since 2020 due mainly to Chinese rules to stop the spread of fungal plant disease. However, even if Australian imports increase, 'fully replacing Canadian canola will be very difficult unless import demand drops sharply,' said Donatas Jankauskas, an analyst with commodity data firm CM Navigator.
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
U.S. inflation holds steady at 2.7% as consumer prices rise
U.S. inflation was unchanged in July while a measure of underlying inflation rose to its highest level in five months as tariffs push the price of imported goods higher while gas and grocery prices cooled. Consumer prices rose 2.7 per cent in July from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Tuesday, the same as the previous month and up from a post-pandemic low of 2.3 per cent in April. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 3.1 per cent, up from 2.9 per cent in June. Both figures are above the Federal Reserve's 2 per cent target. The figures suggest that slowing rent increases and cheaper gas are offsetting some impacts of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs. Many businesses are also absorbing some of the cost of the duties. Tuesday's figures likely include some impact from the 10 per cent universal tariff Trump imposed in April, as well as higher duties on countries such as China and Canada. Story continues below advertisement Still, stubbornly high inflation puts the Federal Reserve in a difficult spot: Hiring slowed sharply in the spring, after Trump announced tariffs in April. The stalling out of job gains has boosted financial market expectations for an interest rate cut by the central bank. Chair Jerome Powell has warned that worsening inflation could keep the Fed on the sidelines — a stance that has enraged Trump, who has defied traditional norms of central bank independence and demanded lower borrowing costs. Gas prices fell 2.2 per cent from June to July and have plunged 9.5 per cent from a year earlier, the government's report said. Grocery prices slipped 0.1 per cent last month, though they are still 2.2 per cent higher than a year ago. Restaurant meals continued to get more expensive, however, rising 0.3 per cent in July and 3.9 per cent from a year earlier. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Tariffs appeared to raise the cost of some imported items: Shoe prices jumped 1.4 per cent from June to July, though they are still just 0.9% more expensive than a year ago. The cost of furniture leapt 0.9 per cent in July and is 3.2 per cent higher than a year earlier. Clothing prices ticked up 0.1 per cent in July, after a larger rise in June, though they are still slightly cheaper than a year ago. Tuesday's data arrives at a highly-charged moment for the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics, which collects and publishes the inflation data. Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, then the head of BLS, after the Aug. 1 jobs report also showed sharply lower hiring for May and June than had previously been reported. Story continues below advertisement The president posted on social media Monday that he has picked E.J. Antoni, an economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation and a frequent critic of the jobs report, to replace McEntarfer. 'E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE,' Trump said on Truth Social. 5:30 Canada's inflation rate climbs to 1.9% Adding to the BLS's turmoil is a government-wide hiring freeze that has forced it to cut back on the amount of data it collects for each inflation report, the agency has said. UBS economist Alan Detmeister estimates that BLS is now collecting about 18 per cent fewer price quotes for the inflation report than it did a few months ago. He thinks the report will produce more volatile results, though averaged out over time, still reliable. Americans are likely to absorb more trade-war costs in the coming months as Trump begins to finalize tariffs. Once businesses know what they will be paying, they are more likely to pass those costs to customers, economists say. Story continues below advertisement Trump has insisted that overseas manufacturers will pay the tariffs by reducing their prices to offset the duties. Yet the pre-tariff prices of imports haven't fallen much since the levies were put in place. Economists at Goldman Sachs estimate that foreign manufacturers have absorbed just 14 per cent of the duties through June, while 22 per cent has been paid by consumers and 64 per cent by U.S. companies. Based on previous patterns, however — such as Trump's 2018 duties on washing machines — the economists expect that by this fall consumers will bear 67 per cent of the burden, while foreign exporters pay 25 per cent and U.S. companies handle just 8 per cent. Many large U.S. companies are raising prices in response to the tariffs, including apparel makers Ralph Lauren and Under Armour, and eyewear company Warby Parker. Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble, maker of Crest toothpaste, Tide detergent and Charmin toilet paper, said late last month that it would lift prices on about a quarter of its products by mid-single-digit percentages. And cosmetics maker e.l.f. Beauty, which makes a majority of its products in China, said on Wednesday that it had raised prices by a dollar on its entire product assortment as of Aug. 1 because of tariff costs, the third price hike in its 21-year history. 'We tend to lead and then we will see how many more kind of follow us,' CEO Tarang Amin said on an earnings call Wednesday. Story continues below advertisement Matt Pavich, senior director of strategy and innovation at Revionics, a company that provides AI tools to large retailers to help them evaluate pricing decisions, says many companies are raising prices selectively to offset tariffs, rather than across the board. 'Up until now we haven't seen a massive hit to consumers in retail prices,' Pavich said. 'Now, they are going up, we've seen that.'
