Alameda's Ferry Terminals Are Getting a Major Electric Upgrade

Your morning ferry ride is about to get a whole lot greener. SF Bay Ferry has locked in tens of millions of dollars in grant funding to install electric boat charging infrastructure at Alameda's ferry terminals, putting the island city at the center of a nationwide push to clean up water transit.

The money comes in two big chunks. A $12.5 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency will bring electric charging infrastructure to the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal on Bay Farm Isle. A separate $16 million federal grant will electrify four ferry floats across the Alameda Seaplane, Main Street Alameda, and Downtown San Francisco terminals. That means the boats docking here will soon be able to plug in and power up, right at the float. The Harbor Bay project also leverages $5 million from the California Energy Commission and $4 million in local matching funds.

All of this is part of SF Bay Ferry's Rapid Electric Emission-Free Ferry (REEF) Program, a big plan to go fully zero-emission. The program covers new battery-electric boats, conversion of existing diesel ferries, and charging infrastructure at key terminals across the Bay. SF Bay Ferry has now secured roughly $154 million in total funding for REEF. The first electric ferry is expected to hit the water in 2026.

For Alameda riders, this is great news on a few levels. Cleaner ferries mean less diesel exhaust over the bay and quieter docks. The Harbor Bay upgrades will also boost EV charging capacity in the terminal parking lot, so you can charge your car while the boat charges at the dock. Alameda is a central hub in this whole plan, with three terminals in the mix.

For the full picture on what's coming, check out SF Bay Ferry's REEF Program page at sanfranciscobayferry.com/reef.