The Pasig River Ferry Service fleet has welcomed its first, Philippine-made and fully electric vessel. Christened as M/B Dalaray, which translates to the ‘flow of current,’ the electric ferry was developed by a team from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, with support from the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development.
On a full charge, M/B Dalaray has a range of 45km while running at eight knots, or about 15kph. At full capacity, the e-ferry can carry 40 passengers and three crew members, or around 4,536kg in total weight. As of writing, the ferry service is still free of charge throughout its 13 stops across five cities.
The new ferry was also built to help in disaster response operations. Given the interconnectivity of the Pasig River, M/B Dalaray can meet citizens in the cities of Pasig, Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila, and Taguig. It may even travel towards Marikina, and as far as Rizal and Laguna.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
There’s a massive festival of Euro cars happening in Clark this Saturday
Ferrari has unveiled the first details of the Elettrica, its fully electric SUV
It is expected to begin its full operations in November, after being welcomed by the Maritime Industry Authority and the Department of Transportation earlier this week. These agencies are hopeful that the bolstered ferry fleet can help decongest city roads and promote alternate modes of transportation.
The Pasig City Ferry Service is the only water-based public transportation system in Metro Manila, operating from 7am to 7pm, from Monday to Saturday. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority had previously announced that new ferry stations were in the pipeline, specifically in Marikina, and more stops in Manila and Pasig.
