Canal Corp. works with Utica-area company to test electric-powered boats

UTICA — The New York State Canal Corporation is testing the water with electric-powered boats, thanks, in part, to funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).

Landover, Md.–based New West Technologies, LLC, which has an office in Yorkville, received $234,000 to test out a battery-electric propulsion system in a Canal Corp. work boat based in Utica.

The boat is one of a fleet of about 20 diesel-powered boats along the New York State Canal System that ferry personnel and equipment, do some light towing, and are generally used to maintain canal operations.

The problem with the boats is that the engines are getting old — many are upwards of 20 years old — and are not at all efficient or environmentally friendly, says Russell Owens, senior project engineer/manager at New West. On top of that, “diesel prices keep going up and up and up,” making it more and more costly to operate the fleet, he adds.

New West and the Canal Corp. will tear out the old diesel engine in one of the boats and replace it with the greener battery-electric system and then monitor the boat’s performance to see if it’s feasible to convert other boats in the fleet to a battery-electric system.

New West is currently evaluating two potential systems to install in the boat, and hope to be able to install the system before the end of this year. Next spring, the Canal Corp. should be able to launch the boat with the new system on board with New West collecting data during operations.

New West prepared for the project by outfitting the boat during this past work season with data collectors so the company could learn how the boat was used and what its power requirements were, Owens says. Once the boat launches with the battery-electric system, new data-collection equipment will monitor its activity, while the old data-collection equipment runs on one of the other diesel powered boats. While it won’t give New West an exact apples-to-apples comparison, it should give enough points of reference for New West and the Canal Corp. to determine if it’s feasible to outfit additional boats at some point.

Ultimately, if the project is successful, there are more than just the 20 maintenance boats that could benefit, says Joseph Tario, senior project manager of transportation research at NYSERDA. The Canal Corp. actually has a fleet of about 300 boats total, and there are other organizations that could benefit from more efficient marine technology, including the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, which operates a fleet, and even county sheriff’s offices that operate fleets.

The goal of the entire program, Tario says, is not just to look at improving outdated technology by installing more efficient options but also to plan ahead enough so that this new technology makes sense for years to come.

“We’re always five to 10 years ahead of the real world,” he says.

This program in particular aims to reduce the state’s energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions. All told, NYSDOT funded $695,000 and NYSERDA funded $484,000 to 11 businesses, non-profits, and research institutions to promote this effort. The projects leverage an additional $700,000 in recipient cost-sharing.

Specific aims include reducing the number of single-occupancy vehicles on the road, promote mass or alternative forms of transit, improve fuel efficiency by coordinating traffic signals in response to real-time traffic conditions, promote bicycle- and car-sharing programs, and evaluate freight-delivery strategies and vehicles for congested urban areas.

According to NYSERDA, transportation consumes three quarters of all petroleum used in the state and is responsible for 40 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted.

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