Rodricks: Chesapeake ferries would take pressure off bay bridges and boost tourism

Sometime in 2025, an Australian boat builder plans to float a 426-foot, all-electric ferry that can carry up to 2,100 passengers and 226 vehicles. The company, Incat, says the ferry will be the largest of its kind, with a power range of 100 nautical miles. A South American ferry operator, Buquebus, will use it to carry passengers between Argentina and Uruguay. The original design called for the ferry to be powered by liquefied natural gas, but, with advances in battery technology, both Incat and Buquebus decided to go electric. That is the case in many other ports of the world, where ferries are either being constructed or retrofitted with electric engines for service in waterfront communities.