Electra all-electric foiling ferry concept revealed

Electra hydrofoil ferry

Boundary Layer Technologies, a California-based marine technology startup, has launched its fully electric hydrofoiling ferry concept design. The Electra is designed to provide twice the speed and range of existing electric ferries, with a range of up to 100 nautical miles and cruise speed of 40 knots.

According to the startup, these bold performance claims will be achievable thanks to Boundary Layer Technology’s proprietary hydrofoil technology and podded propulsion system.

“Hydrofoil technology is the key to enabling electrification of passenger ferries,” says Ed Kearney, CEO of Boundary Layer Technologies

“By reducing the drag of the vessel by a factor of two, the powering requirements are also halved, which increases the speed and range of what an electric ferry can do. This opens the door to electrification of the majority of ferry routes across the world.”

“We think Electra is an exciting development of ferry technology and shows promise for decarbonising ferry operations and adding to the customer’s experience,” says Patrick Murphy, president, Blue & Gold Fleet, who is the contract operator of San Francisco’s 15 high-speed ferries. 

Boundary Layer Technologies has already developed the hydrofoil and control systems required for Electra and plans to have the first vessels in operation by Q1 2024 in regions such as the United States, Scandinavia, and the Mediterranean.

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