The US’s first hydrogen-fueled ship is officially ready to set sail
The Sea Change, a hydrogen-powered catamaran ferry, just got Coast Guard clearance to operate commercially in the Bay Area.
Maritime vessel developer SWITCH Maritime received US Coast Guard approval on Friday to operate its flagship hydrogen ferry, the Sea Change, as a public ferry service.
“We are immensely grateful for the support from the US Coast Guard and all our partners along the path to completion,” said Pace Ralli, CEO of SWITCH. “This is not the finish line, but just a starting point from which to build many more.”
The Sea Change is equipped with hydrogen fuel cells that power its all-electric motors. These cells allow the vessel to travel up to 300 nautical miles (345 miles) at speeds of up to 15 knots (17 mph) and don’t require shoreside charging infrastructure.
Built and launched at All American Marine shipyard in Bellingham, Washington, the Sea Change is a 75-passenger catamaran ferry featuring an integrated hydrogen power system from Zero Emission Industries that has 360 kW of fuel cells from Cummins and 600 kW of electric motor propulsion from BAE Systems.
Following a formal launch event in June, the Sea Change will be operated in a six-month pilot service by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA). It’s funded by a public-private sponsorship that includes the Golden State Warriors and a $3 million grant from the California Air Resources Board.
SWITCH Maritime will put the hydrogen ferry into a more permanent route when the pilot finishes. The company is also developing new designs for larger and faster ferries for San Francisco Bay and other major US and international ferry markets.
Read more: Toyota goes large on hydrogen with new US headquarters
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China just laid out a plan to roll out over 100,000 ultra-fast EV charging stations by 2027 – and they’ll all be open to the public.
The National Development and Reform Commission’s (NDRC) joint notice, issued on Monday, asks local authorities to put together construction plans for highway service areas and prioritize the ones that see 40% or more usage during holiday travel rushes.
The NDRC notes that China’s ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure needs upgrading as more 800V EVs hit the road. Those high-voltage platforms can handle super-fast charging in as little as 10 to 30 minutes, but only if the charging hardware is up to speed.
China had 31.4 million EVs on the road at the end of 2024 – nearly 9% of the country’s total vehicle fleet. But charging access is still catching up. As of May 2025, there were 14.4 million charging points, or roughly 1 for every 2.2 EVs.
To keep the grid running smoothly, China wants new chargers to be smart, with dynamic pricing to incentivize off-peak charging and solar and storage to power the charging stations.
To make the business side work, the government is pushing for 10-year leases for charging station operators, and it’s backing the buildout with local government bonds.
The NDRC emphasized that the DC fast chargers built will be open to the public. This is a big deal because a lot of fast chargers in China aren’t. For example, BYD’s new megawatt chargers aren’t open to third-party vehicles.
As of September 2024, China had expanded its charging infrastructure to 11.4 million EV chargers, but only 3.3 million were public.
Read more: California now has nearly 50% more EV chargers than gas nozzles
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Tesla is starting to experience some consequences for misleading Full Self Driving customers – at least that’s the finding of one arbitration ruling that has Tesla refunding one customer $10,000 plus legal fees for failing to deliver on their promises. Find out more on today’s legally challenging episode of Quick Charge!
An arbitration “court” found that Tesla misled customers with its Full Self Driving product, and has now been forced to refund at least one person’s $10,000 payment (plus legal fees) for the not-quite autonomous driving software. France, too, is piling on claims of deceptive business practices – but there’s some good news for FSD fans! If you’re still willing to pay for it, Tesla will thrown in 0% financing on a brand new Cybertruck.
Check out the relevant links, below, to learn more.
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