Climate Solutions These ferries speed commutes and cut pollution — and they fly The battery-powered boats rise above the waves on hydrofoils, making them faster and better for the climate than traditional diesel ferries. April 15, 2025 at 6:00 a.m. EDTToday at 6:00 a.m. EDT
Commuters in Stockholm are cutting their travel times — and carbon emissions — on an electric ferry that seems to fly above the water.
The ship rises above the waves on a set of underwater wings known as hydrofoils. The wings cut through the water with very little resistance, allowing this electric ship to travel faster than the diesel ferries that ply Stockholm’s waterways while using much less energy and creating 98 percent fewer carbon emissions, according to an independent analysis from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.
Now, shipbuilder Candela says it’s planning to launch more of its P-12 ferries around the world. It has signed deals with ferry operators in Lake Tahoe, Berlin and Neom, a planned city in Saudi Arabia. CEO Gustav Hasselskog said congested waterfront cities such as New York, San Francisco and Mumbai could follow.
The P-12 is part of a global trend toward electrifying ferries and other nearshore ships to reduce pollution and fuel costs: Scores of e-ferries are already humming along coastal waters in Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia and around U.S. landmarks including Niagara Falls and Alcatraz Island off the coast of San Francisco. Soon, the world’s biggest electric ferry will carry up to 2,100 passengers and 225 cars between Argentina and Uruguay.
“Electric ships won’t solve everything, but for short journeys they can significantly cut emissions and improve local air quality,” said Valentin Simon, a data analyst at the European nonprofit Transport & Environment.
Making a ferry fly
The technology that allows the P-12 ferry to “fly” is at least a century old: Italian inventor Enrico Forlanini was testing and patenting small, steam-powered hydrofoil ships in the early 1900s. Hydrofoils are now common on yachts and sailboats designed for racing, but shipbuilders are just starting to put them on commercial vessels.
Hydrofoils look a little like airplane wings, and they work the same way. As they cut through the water, pressure builds beneath the hydrofoils, pushing them up. As the hydrofoils rise toward the surface, they lift the ship’s hull above the waves. The P-12 is held in the air by five narrow struts that attach to hydrofoils and propellers below the surface of the water.
Because soaring hydrofoil boats face very little drag, they can use a smaller battery, which saves money and frees up more space for passengers. The P-12 cruises at about 30 mph — double the speed of a typical U.S. ferry — with the battery equivalent of about three Tesla Cybertrucks.
The P-12 can run for two hours before it needs to be charged for about an hour. Candela uses two EV superchargers at port to recharge the battery after the morning and evening commuter rush.
“In many places, you see that there is a peak in the morning and a peak in the afternoon, and then you can charge over lunch,” Hasselskog said. But, he acknowledged, charging times would be an obstacle for some ferry routes.
The decision to go electric can be similar for ferry operators and car owners, Simon said. Electric ships tend to cost more up front but wind up being cheaper in the long run because it’s much cheaper to charge a battery than to fill a tank with marine diesel. And, as with EVs, finding a charger can be an obstacle.
“Ports will also need to step up by providing the necessary charging infrastructure,” he said.
Can shipping go electric?
Ferries are the easiest ships to electrify since they make short, frequent trips on schedules that allow time for charging, Simon said. But ferries that carry people or vehicles emit only about 6 percent of global shipping emissions — which is less than 0.2 percent of total greenhouse emissions, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Ferries produce a small share of global shipping emissions
Global emissions from shipping by vessel category in 2022
Global emissions from shipping by vessel category in 2022
To cut a bigger chunk of the 3 percent of planet-warming emissions that come from shipping, companies have to find a solution for big ships that travel long distances. Roughly three-quarters of shipping emissions come from container ships, fuel and chemical tankers, and bulk carriers that transport grains, metal ores, cement and other commodities.
It’s unlikely these ships could ever go fully electric because it would be impractical to load them with batteries big enough to cross oceans, Simon said. Liquid fuels can store more energy while taking up much less space and weight than batteries.
But it might be possible to build hybrid ships that rely on a mix of electric engines and liquid fuels, according to a 2024 analysis from the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, a think tank backed by the world’s second-biggest shipping line. It estimates that hybrid ships could cut their carbon emissions up to 17 percent by switching to battery power during shorter legs of their journeys.
While building hybrid ships is technically possible, it would take decades to replace the existing fleet of fossil-fuel-powered ships, and governments would probably have to create regulations or incentives to encourage companies to make the switch, Simon said. More than 100 countries struck a tentative deal on Friday to reduce shipping emissions and fine companies that do not meet pollution goals — but the United States backed out and threatened to reciprocate any fees imposed on U.S. ships.
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