{"result":"update_story","description":"<p>In a demonstration that felt more like science fiction than public transit, an all-electric &#39;flying&#39; ferry took to the waters of Howe Sound on June 23, showcasing its green technology.<\/p> <p>A flying ferry? Yes, you read that right. It uses hydro-foiling technology&mdash;&lsquo;wings&rsquo; that lift the vessel out of the water&mdash;only this one is fully electric.<\/p> <p>The Artemis EF-12 Escape, a zero-emission passenger vessel built by Belfast&rsquo;s Artemis Technologies, has arrived in B.C. in its latest run of demonstration voyages across North America.<\/p> <p>Leaving the Matthews West Harbour Air dock on Monday, June 23, hosts FRS Clipper and Greenline Ferries took The Squamish Chief, as well as representatives from the District of Squamish&mdash;including council members and Mayor Armand Hurford&mdash;representatives from the Squamish Chamber of Commerce, the downtown Squamish BIA, Tourism Squamish, Vancouver City council member Rebecca Bligh, and Sea to Sky MLA Jeremy Valeriote, in the Artemis EF-12 Escape for a literal spin around the harbour at 25 knots.<\/p> <p>The vessel&rsquo;s interior is comfortable and spacious, making up the &ldquo;premium&rdquo; experience promised by Artemis Technologies, all with very little noise, which some may expect to be very much otherwise.<\/p>\n\t\t<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1515615292703-0\" class=\"dfp-ad dfp-in-content\" style=\"margin-bottom:15px;\">\n\t\t<script>\n\t\t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(\"div-gpt-ad-1515615292703-0\"); });\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t <p><img alt=\"&lt;who&gt; Photo credit: Ina Pace &lt;\/who&gt; The Artemis EF-12 Escape.\" src=\"\/files\/files\/images\/artemis.png\" style=\"margin: 5px;\" \/><\/p> <p>Artemis Technologies states on its website that they aim to create &ldquo;a more sustainable maritime future&hellip; committed to pioneering sustainable solutions that tackle the global climate challenge.&rdquo;<\/p> <p>&ldquo;We want to create a sustainable business to serve the people of Squamish, and we have to test certain things like speed, durability, and energy consumption,&rdquo; said chief executive officer (CEO) of FRS Clipper, Mark Collins.<\/p> <p>&ldquo;This technology represents a fundamental change in operating costs; that&#39;s a game changer for the economics.&rdquo;<\/p> <p>Other FRS Clipper and Greenline staff aboard explained how the vessel&rsquo;s technology works using hydro-foils, so as it accelerates and comes out of the water, 70 to 90% less energy is used for the engine.<\/p> <p>The foils or &ldquo;wings&rdquo; can also be used to sail the boat, enabling it to turn at high speeds.<\/p> <p>With hydro foiling, in addition to the Artemis EF-12 Escape being made of lightweight carbon fibre, the vessel&rsquo;s weight is very limited; staff explained that the vessel&rsquo;s minimal weight also significantly reduces its wake.<\/p> <p>A boat&rsquo;s wake can disturb local life in waterways and the surrounding environment.<\/p> <p>&ldquo;The wake can damage the shoreline, and there are both cultural and economic problems with that,&rdquo; said Collins, &ldquo;So, if you take out the wake, you reduce the chances of damage to people&#39;s private property, to cultural sites, archaeology, and history.&rdquo;<\/p> <h3>Charging infrastructure<\/h3> <p>The electric vessel will have &ldquo;charge barges&rdquo; (like EV stations); the founder and CEO of Greenline Ferries Callum Campbell, said that a trip to Bowen Island from downtown Vancouver, for example, could be done with charge only from Vancouver.<\/p> <p>However, if the vessel were to travel to downtown Vancouver from Squamish, which staff estimate would take just under an hour, it would need a charge at both docks.<\/p> <p>&ldquo;The ideal scenario [is] having charging everywhere so the [vessel] can always have an available fuel source, but you don&#39;t have to build up the system to the ideal right away; you do the operational plan with the infrastructure that you have for minimum viable service, and build up from there over time,&rdquo; said Collins.<\/p> <p>The Artemis EF-12 Escape is the demonstrative vessel that is part of a wider sustainable transport project to be completed by 2027, which will feature larger passenger vessels, such as the Artemis EF-24 Passenger.<\/p> <p>The project will consist of an express ferry service between Gibsons, Bowen Island, and downtown Vancouver, taking approximately 56 minutes dock to dock at a maximum speed of 30 knots.<\/p> <p>FRS Clipper and Greenline Ferries staff said they plan to expand the express service to Victoria.<\/p> <p>Regarding Artemis Technologies&rsquo; demonstrations taking place in B.C., Campbell explained Greenlines&rsquo; affiliation and like-mindedness with the manufacturer.<\/p> <p>&ldquo;One thing we really want to showcase is that the technology is here, right? The engineers have done their work; the shipbuilders have done their work.<\/p> <p>&ldquo;This technology exists [in B.C.], so it&#39;s important for us to show that this is not one of our challenges in deployment and services; it is a big, ambitious project to bring in a new, all-electric ferry service into B.C.&rdquo;<\/p> <p>Artemis Technologies is currently providing voyage demonstrations across North America; you can find more details about their technology and range of vessels to be launched on their<a href=\"https:\/\/www.artemistechnologies.co.uk\/ef-12-escape-water-taxi\/?utm_source=squamish%20chief&amp;utm_campaign=squamish%20chief%3A%20outbound&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\"> website.<\/a><\/p>","title":"BC\u2019s first \u2018flying ferry\u2019 makes waves at the Squamish oceanfront"}