Balboa Island Ferry, Newport Beach, Calif., has secured funding to electrify its fleet, preserving the future of a ferry service that faced potential closure under California's zero-emissions mandate for short-run ferries.
The operator has executed contract agreements with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to replace all three of its existing Tier 2 diesel-powered vessels — the Admiral, Captain, and Commodore — with new battery-electric ferries. Shoreside charging infrastructure will also be installed.
The project is funded by CARB's Sustainable Heavy-Duty Initiatives for Future Technology (SHIFT) program and California Climate Investments, administered by South Coast AQMD. The cost-sharing partnership totals approximately $12 million, with CARB funding roughly 62% of costs, Balboa Island Ferry contributing 36%, and South Coast AQMD contributing 2%.
The ferry has operated an 800' crossing between Balboa Island and Balboa Peninsula since 1919. Its existing vessels are double-ended wooden boats constructed in the 1950s. Each can carry 98 passengers and two crew, or 73 passengers, two crew, and three cars.
The electrification project will make Balboa Island Ferry the first in California with a fully electric ferry fleet.
"The support of our community and its leaders, like Assemblymember Diane Dixon, has been critical to moving this project forward," said Balboa Island Ferry President Seymour Beek, whose family has run the ferry for more than a century.
"Since 1919, the ferry has played an integral role in the region – connecting commuters, visitors, and residents from Balboa Peninsula to Balboa Island all year round," said Assemblymember Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach. "I am pleased to see the public and private partnership between these entities help small businesses, like the Balboa Island Ferry, to keep up with the transformative regulations that the State has placed on them."
"This funding support is crucial for the ferry to continue [its] distinguished legacy and service, not only for the residents but also for the over seven million visitors that travel to Newport Beach each year," Dixon added.
