Following an overnight charge at a Half Moon Bay charger, which is complete, the hybrid ferry will use its on-board diesel generators (the “hybrid” element of its design) to keep its batteries topped up during the day.

Once the downtown charger is complete, the hybrids’ internal diesel generators will only be used in the event of a change of berth, fog or another unexpected event that means a longer journey than anticipated.

The downtown charger was originally due to be in operation by the end of 2024.

Ironically, given the heated diesel versus electric debate (exacerbated by New Zealand’s first electric ferry, in Wellington, being out of action for the best part of a year), consent delays centred on an argument about the visual appeal of the charger building (more on which below).

Now that work on the downtown charger is finally underway in earnest, Auckland Transport (AT) has an incentive to see it finished as soon as possible.

“As locally generated electricity is significantly cheaper than operating on diesel – especially at current elevated fuel prices – there is a strong incentive to use as little diesel as possible,” AT infrastructure programmes director Nathan Cammock told the Herald on Friday.

AT reverts to diesel ferries

The second element of cognitive dissonance is that AT – after ordering two fully electric and two hybrid electric boats – then put its programme to electrify the city’s 30 ferries on hold.

Late last year came the shock twist that the council agency’s latest tender is for the construction of four diesel ferries.

With a tightening of central government and Auckland Council funding, AT is pitching the return to diesel as a temporary cost-saving measure.

On Friday, AT confirmed it is sticking to the diesel tender, despite the steep rise in diesel prices due the Iran conflict, albeit now with three vessels.

But Cammock said the price rises had underlined the need for electrification over the long term.

“The spike in diesel prices has strengthened the justification for fleet electrification, providing greater fuel cost savings and reducing our reliance on imported diesel,” he said.

But with a significant number of existing ferries nearing end of life or having insufficient passenger capacity, the diesel fleet remains an important part of the fleet transition, Cammock said, to address urgent fleet replacement needs, service longer routes – where low-emission options are still maturing – and provide resilience while further charging and a low-emission fleet are funded and procured.

“The three new diesel ferries will help avoid degradation of passenger services due to vessel breakdowns, and to reduce costs associated with more frequent and expensive vessel maintenance.”

But not all are convinced of the diesel move.

“Diesel ferries burn close to a million litres annually; small price shifts swing costs and large movements can be crippling,” EV Maritime chief executive Michael Eaglen said recently in a in a guest opinion piece for the Herald.

AT has previously said that although Auckland’s ferries account for just 6% of public transport, they produce 20% of emissions from public transport.

Eaglen is an advocate for electric ferries as a cleaner, cheaper-to-run and quieter alternative.

But he also sees a strong domestic electric boat-building industry as a springboard for a new high-tech export sector and has been disappointed by Auckland Council’s decision to put its electrification plan on hold for an unspecified time and to procure new diesel ferries.

Eaglen has an ally in Fullers – perhaps not an immediately obvious green technology backer, given its private equity ownership.

“Everyone gets a bit confused with the cost of building a boat and the cost of operating a boat over time,” Fullers chief executive Mike Horne told the Herald earlier.

“I look at the whole-of-life [aspect].

“And if I’m investing commercially, which I am, I’m going to the electric boats every time.”

Fullers bankrolled initial work on the two hybrids before the project was taken over by AT. It’s also bought two 10-seater electric craft from local start-up Vessev.

On Friday, the Herald asked AT for an update on the downtown mega-chargers and the building that will house them.

“Downtown charging construction is well underway, using the same equipment successfully operating at Half Moon Bay,” Cammock said.

“Works under Queens Wharf to enable electrical cable installation is largely complete and the above wharf area [is] being prepared for supporting steelwork, and then the charging equipment.

“The charging equipment is being assembled offsite to minimise disruption, and will be craned on to site in the coming months to align with the pulling of cables. The equipment is planned to be commissioned in stages from late 2026 to mid-2027 and will enable three berths for electric ferries.”

AT has previously put forward the scenario of an overnight charge for electric ferries and hybrids, with top-up charges downtown as passengers get on and off.

How will that work with no charger (and no plans for one at Devonport) and with the downtown charger up to a year away, how will the first hybrid run?

How will the city centre end charging take place with the charger still under construction?

“The electric-hybrid vessels are flexible in terms of how they operate. Day-to-day operation can be on battery-only, electricity from the on-board generator only, or a mix of battery and generator,” Cammock said.

“Charging at Half Moon Bay is available to use, but we expect to prioritise this for commissioning and introduction into service of the other three vessels on order.

“This means that while downtown charging is being completed, the first electric-hybrid will operate – as designed – using the on-board diesel generator, complementing the batteries, before moving to fully electric operation as downtown charging comes online.”

In December 2023, Swedish multinational ABB won a $27.6m contract to build three chargers for Auckland’s electric ferries. It said it would build:

At the time, Cammock said the first equipment would be delivered by July 1, 2024; the first charger would be delivered by September 30, 2024 and the remaining four by December 31, 2024.

But in November 2024, the Herald reported that the two-storey Queens Wharf charging station, which will consume as much power as a mid-sized town, had only just gone out to consent – and that it had sparked concerns from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and Waitematā and Gulf councillor Mike Lee, who called it an “eyesore”.

Below-wharf construction for the downtown mega-chargers did not begin until October 2025 and above-wharf work will not begin until January 2026.

The Half Moon Bay charger was completed last year. But due to funding issues tied to the need for a pontoon rebuild to accommodate the new ferries, the Hobsonville Point charger is on an open-ended hold.

Where are the other electric ferries?

The two hybrid ferries, which can carry up to 300 passengers each, were built by Q-West in Whanganui.

The two fully electric boats, which can carry up to 250 people, were built by East Tāmaki’s McMullen and Wing and designed by its spinoff company, EV Maritime.

Both have propulsion systems made by Christchurch’s HamiltonJet.

“The second fully electric ferry is launched and completing installation work at the shipyard and testing with the Half Moon Bay charger before commencing formal performance trials,” Cammock said.

The first fully electric ferry began testing on the water last June and has been waiting for its twin.

Fullers’ Horne said earlier that while a fully electric service from Half Moon Bay to the city could be run with charging at the Half Moon end alone (taking five to 10 minutes), his company’s operating model called for two criss-crossing vessels.

“The second electric-hybrid ferry is under fabrication at the shipyard in Whanganui and expected to be delivered to Auckland later in 2026,” Cammock said.

Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.