Germany launches a Hydrogen-powered Passenger Ferry that emits only water vapor and crosses the Rhine 400 times a day in Dusseldorf

 

The old ferry burned 180,000 liters of diesel a year. The noise traveled straight up the Düsseldorf waterfront. The new one does the exact same job in total silence.

The HyFerry Rhine makes 400 crossings a day between Düsseldorf and Neuss. It carries 150 passengers at a time. The only thing coming out of the exhaust pipe is water vapor. An eight-minute stop at the fueling dock provides enough hydrogen for 12 uninterrupted hours on the water.

The fuel itself comes from a local plant powered by surplus wind energy from the Rhine Valley. It is a completely closed loop. The hydrogen currently costs 15% more than diesel, but Germany's carbon pricing brings the final operating cost to exactly the same number. It works so well they are putting 84 more of them on the water by 2028.