Aucklanders will soon be able to ride on the city's first hybrid-electric fast ferry, with the new vessel set to enter service on the Devonport route next month.
Waitematā One, the first of two hybrid-electric ferries joining Auckland's fleet, was unveiled to media and stakeholders on Wednesday during a test voyage across the harbour.
Passengers on board quickly noticed one of its key selling points.
"Pretty quiet and fast," one passenger said during the trip.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown was also impressed.
"Very smooth, very quick. Great views next to the water," Brown said.
The ferry forms part of Auckland Transport's push to reduce emissions from its ferry network, alongside two fully electric ferries currently being introduced.
But despite the electric ambitions, there is a catch.
The ferries are ready. The chargers aren't.
The original plan was for Auckland's new electric and hybrid-electric ferries to fast-charge at a new downtown charging facility on Queens Wharf.
However, the $27 million charging station needed to fully power the vessels remains under construction.
Three "mega-chargers" originally expected to be completed in 2024 have been delayed.
Auckland Transport interim chief executive Stacey van der Putten said completion was expected sometime next year.
"When in next year I'm not sure in terms of that, but next year."
"But that's the beauty of these hybrid electric vessels we have, is that we can get them in the water now."
How will the ferry operate?
Until the downtown charging facility is completed, the ferry will charge overnight at an existing charging station at Half Moon Bay.
During the day, it will operate on the Devonport route, using its onboard diesel generator when needed to help keep its batteries topped up.
Fullers360 chief executive Mike Horne said the vessel had been specifically designed to operate this way.
"It's a plug-in electric boat but it's got a diesel generator and the diesel generator provides electricity."
Officials say the arrangement is temporary while charging infrastructure catches up with the vessels already arriving on the network.
Despite carrying only a small proportion of Auckland's public transport passengers, ferries account for a disproportionate share of emissions.
According to Auckland Transport, ferries carry about 6% of public transport passengers but produce around 20% of the network's emissions.
Van der Putten said introducing the vessels now would help modernise Auckland's ageing fleet while also allowing operators to learn from the technology before wider investment decisions are made.
"That overall improves the resilience of the network. We have a very aged fleet in Auckland and therefore that does show up to our customers sometimes through fleet reliability issues, so getting it in the water now and getting it out there is a great thing."
She said the vessels would also help Auckland better understand how electric ferry technology performs in day-to-day operations.
"We need to prove the technology, we need to get the data, we need to understand it, we need to obviously get confidence in terms of reliability and safety of the vessels. That's a really big thing that helps inform future investment."
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