Anuvu Tests First Fuel Cell Ferry in Frisco Bay

After testing its 30-foot, 18-passenger, hydrogen-powered water taxi on the San Francisco Bay in late October, Anuvu Inc. is finalizing paperwork to be the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority’s (WTA) contractor for the world’s first fuel cell-powered commuter ferry. With $2.6 million in federal grants, the WTA is charged with building a 149-passenger ferry to run between San Francisco and Treasure Island by 2005.

“The ferry will be a double-decker beauty and roughly 79-feet long,” says Mary Culnane, WTA’s manager of marine engineering. The WTA is searching for a boat-building contractor to construct the vessel this year in accordance with a design by John J. McMullen Associates Inc. of Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The ferry’s fuel cell will be fed hydrogen via a metal hydride battery – a sponge-like metal that can absorb and store hydrogen. When the ferry is docked, the battery will be restocked with hydrogen via a tube. The fuel cell will be housed in a metal container on top of the boat near the pilot house, while the battery will be stored at the back of the boat and doubles as ballast.

Anuvu’s approach to the ferry project is to stack small fuel cell modules to create enough power for the boat. “Just like putting multiple batteries in a flashlight, we can build the 240kW power plant with 20 individual 12kW fuel cell stacks wired together,” explains Rex Hodge, Anuvu’s president and CEO. This modular approach also enables the boat to keep running even if an individual fuel cell stack has a problem.

“But the new ferry will serve as a demonstration vehicle only,” Culnane says, “and will likely transport commuters only twice a day rather than on a regular, more frequent ferry schedule.” She hopes that after the ferry runs for a few years, the public will recognize the benefits and support federal funding to build additional vessels.