OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington State Ferries' system transition to electric is underway.
Work began in August with Siemens Energy to convert an existing diesel boat to a hybrid vessel.
The boat should be in service by September 2024, said Matt von Ruden, the system electrification program administrator for the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The first all-electric vessel should be on the Seattle to Bainbridge Island route in 2027, von Ruden told Gov. Jay Inslee during a roundtable discussion Wednesday morning in Olympia.
Inslee said that Washington will be the first state in the U.S. with electric ferries.
"We love our ferries, we love clean air, we love reduced costs," said Inslee, (D-Washington).
Under legislation passed by lawmakers, the state's ferry fleet is supposed to be all-electric by 2050, but von Ruden said 76 percent of the boats should be electric by 2040.
The Clinton-Mukilteo route should have an electric ferry by 2029 and the Point Defiance-Tahlequah run will have one by 2032, said von Ruden.
Inslee said the new ferries are only part of the solution to a system with aging boats and short staffing.
The governor said the state has made improvements to hiring and employee retention, but knows riders are fed up.
”We’re behind the curve but we’re building more boats now," said Inslee. "We're doing it in a way that's more reliable and cheaper for taxpayers because electric over the long term is actually cheaper than fossil fuels."
Last week, the Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce hosted a town hall discussion to let frustrated ferry passengers air their concerns.
Executive Director Amy Drayer said her organization will present recommendations to legislators when they return to Olympia in January.
She said businesses in communities that rely on ferries are suffering due to cancelled or delayed routes, while residents struggle to make it on time to doctor appointments and schools.
Drayer said she supports the move to an all-electric future, however, "We have a crisis going on right now.”
She hopes legislators also look at more short term fixes, like funding counties and cities who want to operate foot ferries.
Inslee said he is open to finding ways to make ferries more reliable.
"I am a ferry rider so I understand that frustration when you miss a boat," said Inslee, who owns a home on Bainbridge Island.