San Diego-Coronado route to welcome all-electric, zero-emission ferries

Flagship Cruises & Events with headquarters in San Diego has received $15.2 million in funding from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to create a pair of fully electric zero-emission ferries to serve the San Diego to Coronado route.

The CARB Advanced Technology Demonstration and Pilot Project grant is a component of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that supports public health, economic, and environmental benefits via the use of cap-and-trade money. According to reports, the project would be carried out in cooperation with the San Diego Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD). It is anticipated that the entire restoration will cost more than $21 million.

Later this year, the construction is expected to start. By the fall of 2026, the first one is expected to be released and the vessels are going to be the first all-electric ferries in California. These two electric ferries will be equipped with enhanced battery technology, which makes them unlikely to emit any greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at all. These new vessels have the potential to eliminate particulate matter which is commonly associated with conventional combustion engines.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $59 million to the Clean Cargo initiative at the end of October 2024. EPA’s Clean Ports Program, which aims to reduce air pollution and encourage the shift to cleaner maritime activities at ports around the US, allocated the grant.

Implementation of a number of essential components would greatly reduce CO₂ emissions through the Clean Cargo project. These include installing two shore power systems for commercial harbor craft at TAMT, introducing a zero-emissions truck stop, purchasing and deploying battery-electric zero-emission vehicles, equipment, and charging infrastructure and finishing the improvements to the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal’s (TAMT) legacy 12-kilovolt electrical distribution system (12-kV loop).

Additionally, the San Diego Port received a grant of $5 million in mid-January 2025 through SDAPCD’s Clean Air for All vision. The funds will be used to modernize the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal’s electrical system.