July/August 2019

n TRANSPORTATION Niagara visitors will now be carried electrically to receive their drenching V isitors to the iconic Niagara Falls will soon be able to experience the spectacle from two new electrically powered vessels – the first of their type to be built in the US. The ferries will carry an estimated 1.6 million passengers to the heart the Falls, undisturbed by engine noise, vibration or exhaust fumes from diesel engines. The battery-powered craft are the latest in a long line of Maid of the Mist vessels that have been has been navigating the waters of the Lower Niagara River since 1846. Each vessel will be powered by a pair of battery packs with a total capacity of 316kWh, feeding electric propulsion motors with a combined output of 400kW. The batteries will be split evenly between two catamaran hulls, creating a pair of independent power systems that will increase the resilience of operations. The vessel’s batteries will be charged for seven minutes as passengers embark and disembark between trips, taking them to 80% of their full capacity, ready for the vessels’ scheduled departures every 30 minutes. The batteries will be charged using hydroelectric power – the largest source of renewable electricity generation in the US, which accounts for 7% of the country’s utility-scale generation. The use of locally produced renewable power will make the operation of the new Maid of the Mist vessels emission-free. “It makes perfect sense for Maid of the Mist to be a world leader with the implementation of this green technology,” says Maid of the Mist president, Christopher Glynn. “The new vessels will carry our guests to the base of Niagara Falls, one of the world’s largest sources of clean hydroelectric power.” Visitors to the Niagara Falls will soon be transported to the base of the Falls on a pair of electrically powered vessels which are expected to carry 1.6 million passengers every year.