The Power of Batteries

The Hornblower Hybrid is a technological advancement many years in the making, harnessing energy from the sun and the wind, combined with diesel engines, to propel the vessel. And although most of our visitors are excited about the wind and solar technology, we don't want our guests to forget about another important technology component: Battery Power!

To give a quick review, power from the wind turbines and solar panels are stored in the battery banks that power navigation tools, lighting and other electronic needs.  Any excess power is stored in the main propulsion battery banks that allow for zero emissions mode.  Without the battery banks, the Hornblower Hybrid would have nowhere to store power!

To remind our devoted blog readers about the power of batteries, our team of engineers have compiled some fun facts about the batteries on the Hornblower Hybrid:

• There is approximately 2,300 pounds of batteries

   in each of the two boat hulls, totaling 4,600 pounds

   of batteries! 

• Each battery bank holds 380 volts.

• It would take around 15,000 AA style batteries to

   equal the battery banks on the Hornblower Hybrid.

• It takes approximately 5 hours to recharge the

   batteries.

• The boat has a battery pack about 17 times as

   large as the one found in the Prius.

• The Hornblower Hybrid can do up to 7 knots on

   battery power.  (A knot is 1.15 mph).

Just a reminder, we recycle batteries on Alcatraz Landing in San Francisco.  So if your camera runs out of batteries after an all day photo shoot on Alcatraz Island, please feel free to drop them off with any Alcatraz Cruises staff member and we will dispose of them properly.

Growing Trend: Vehicle-Fleet Hybrid Retrofits

Recently we wrote about the advantages of reusing and recycling a diving vessel for the Hornblower Hybrid and discussed the environmental benefits of retrofitting a used boat. On top of saving energy, another long term goal was to ignite a trend towards hybrid retrofits in the water transportation industry.

In the meantime, hybrid retrofits have become a budding trend in the land transportation industry, with Fed Ex increasing its North American hybrid truck fleet by 50 percent after last week's announcement of 92 additional retrofitted delivery trucks. Fed Ex claims to have the largest hybrid package delivery fleet in the U.S. with a total of 264 hybrid trucks. The repurposed vehicles are 44 percent more fuel efficient than standard FedEx delivery trucks and produce 96 percent fewer particulates and 75 percent fewer smog-causing emissions. 

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is also looking toward a future in hybrid retrofits.  PG&E was one of 14 utility companies to asses a hybrid diesel-electric truck in it's vehicle fleet, which could potentially cut fuel consumption by 30 to 60 percent.

If we are moving toward a future of hybrid vehicle fleets, the logical next step would be hybrid vessel fleets. The technologies used on the Hornblower Hybrid are not limited to just this vessel or the current route it operates to Alcatraz and Angel Island in San Francisco.  It can be used on almost any vessel, even a fleet of vessels! Our company was just the first to hire an engineering team to design and integrate the systems, making it the first successful implementation of a hybrid passenger ferry in the United States.  We can offer our services to other vessel operators who would like a hybrid vessel(s) as well. 

Hornblower Hybrid vs. Toyota Prius

The Hornblower Hybrid has often been referred to as "a Prius on steroids" and when asked to explain the functions of our hybrid vessel, our team often refers to the capabilities of the Toyota Prius as an easy explanation.  So how do these two hybrid vehicles compare?

Similarities

Like the Prius, that can be propelled by gasoline (petrol) and/or electric power, the Hornblower Hybrid is a diesel-electric vessel that also switches between these two modes of power.  Accessories such as dashboard lights and air conditioning on the Toyota Prius, are powered by the battery pack just like the Hornblower Hybrid that uses power stored in its battery banks to power navigation tools, lighting and other electronic needs.  Another

similarity is the display screens onboard the Hornblower Hybrid that show energy flow to/from the engines and battery bank as well as the battery charge level.  The Prius also has an energy monitor on its multi-function dashboard display. 

Differences

The main difference between the two hybrid vehicles is the Hornblower Hybrid's customized drive system that lets the captain monitor the vessel's energy needs and choose the most efficient power sources. For example, when the boat is idling at the dock, the engines are shut off and the electric motors run simply off the energy stored in the battery banks. 

The Toyota Prius instead makes that choice for the driver, automatically switching from gasoline engine to electric mode, for example, when idling at a stoplight or driving at low speeds.  We are not making any claims that the Hornblower Hybrid technology is better than Toyota, just different, in that one technology lets you choose between the two modes and the other makes the choice or you. 

When comparing the Hornblower Hybrid and the Toyota Prius, the most important comparison to make is their fuel efficiency.  Compared to a typical ferry boat that burns 25 to 30 gallons of diesel per hour, the Hornblower Hybrid uses between 5 to 7 gallons per hour. The 2010 Prius can reach up to 51 mpg compared to a typical compact vehicle that can get 30-40 mpg.  

Like the Toyota Prius, that led the way for more fuel-efficient cars, we hope the Hornblower Hybrid will spark change in the maritime industry for more fuel-efficient boats in the future.

Peddle Power! How many bikes would it take to power the Hornblower Hybrid?

During the construction of the vessel, the Hornblower Hybrid team saw the opportunity to make the new hybrid ferry an educational tool and seized it, adding many learning components throughout the boat.  The Hornblower Hybrid comes equipped with many educational tools onboard including a large display of diagrams and educational photos in the pilothouse. Signs are also posted throughout the vessel with information on the "green" components of the boat, including countertops made of recycled glass to show passengers firsthand how materials can be reused to reduce our impact on the planet. 

One of the boat's most popular education tools, however, is an exercise bike that is hooked up to a miniature, functioning representation of the same system that directs solar and wind turbine power to the battery pack.  Passengers can peddle the bike and actually generate power for the Hornblower Hybrid's batteries. Designed with children in mind to learn how much energy it takes to generate power, the bike has become more popular with adults who are not shy about giving a few elbows to get their turn at peddling. 

So how much man power would it actually take to generate enough energy to power the boat? According to our project engineer, we would need 1,500 bikes onboard to power the Hornblower Hybrid at 10 knots. That's a lot of bikes!  

We hope this makes our guests think more about the energy they use at home and encourages them to make environmentally friendly decisions in their daily lives.  That being said, make sure to come in your best shape, get ready to peddle and we will see you onboard!*

* You can join us on the Hornblower Hybrid by purchasing tickets for our Island Hop tour to Alcatraz and Angel Island.  Tickets can be purchased at www.alcatrazcruises.com.

Recycled glass countertops made from 2,000 bottles of Vodka

You host a party, your friends show up, you serve vodka martinis, you dance, you mingle, say good-bye, clean up the mess and recycle the empty bottles. 

Surprisingly, this is how countertops are made in the “green” world.

You heard right.  As part of our dedication to Respect Our Planet, all countertops on the Hornblower Hybrid are made from recycled glass – two thousand Skyy Vodka bottles to be more exact. Vetrazzo, Inc., a certified Bay Area Green Business, created and designed all countertops onboard the vessel made from approximately 85% post-consumer recycled glass.

Like Hornblower and companies, Vetrazzo cultivates a workplace that demonstrates a respect for people and the planet and we are proud to partner with local green businesses that share our mission for a cleaner and greener environment.

The Hornblower Hybrid is “green” in many other ways beyond its clean energy capabilities and recycled glass countertops. The vessel includes other environmentally friendly components such as:

 - Carpet: contains Everset Fibers, made from post consumer recycled materials and is recyclable.

- Lights: the boat is fully equipped with an LED lighting system 

- Interior Signage: printed on Plyboo (left), 100% renewable plywood bamboo made from sustainable sources

- All interior modifications meet the USGBC LEED criteria for recycled content

For more information on Vetrazzo please visit www.vetrazzo.com

Save Energy and the Planet: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - some may call these the "3 R's" but our team at Hornblower refers to these three words as important guidelines to build a hybrid ferry.

In 2005, Hornblower Cruises & Events was awarded a 10-year contract to provide transportation across the San Francisco Bay to Alcatraz Island. The National Park Service contract stipulated that our fleet include ferries that were built or refitted to a higher level of environmental standards. Not only did our company accept the challenge, but our team of engineers went above and beyond. After refitting two existing vessels with new engines that reduce emissions by 50% and comply to Tier 2 standards, Hornblower has taken the next step by introducing a hybrid ferry to to its "green" fleet.

The Hornblower Hybrid, now complete and in full time service to Alcatraz and Angel Island, not only reduces emissions during operation but also saved energy during vessel construction.  Instead of starting from scratch, Hornblower acquired an aluminum commercial dive boat to convert into a hybrid ferry. The retrofit, repower and refurbishment took several months to complete and almost 90 percent of the former dive boat was refitted.

By Reusing and Recycling a used diving vessel, Hornblower saved 735,000 KWh of electricity in the construction/retrofit of the vessel. That is equivalent to taking more than 60 U.S. homes off the grid for 1 year, significantly Reducing our environmental impact. 

A Special Earth Day on the Bay

Our Mother Earth: We take her for granted daily, even though she does just about everything for us.  So on Earth Day many green-minded people made plans to show a little love, and to do our part, Alcatraz Cruises offered a way for people to learn about living on this planet with a softer footprint.  

Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd and is designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.  Appropriately, the Hornblower Hybrid is designed to inspire environmental awareness as well and to teach our guests about the importance of environmental stewardship.  Therefore Alcatraz Cruises extended the invitation to come onboard the Hornblower Hybrid for a special Earth Day Cruise around the San Francisco Bay.  

Tickets were sold for three special Earth Day Cruises with 100% of the proceeds donated to Save the Bay, an organization dedicated to protecting, restoring and celebrating the San Francisco Bay.  Representatives from Save the Bay were present to educate all Earth Day cruisers about the importance of habitat restoration for a healthy bay. 

The event was a great success, enjoyed by green enthusiasts, families, students and cruisers who were just looking to enjoy a sunny day on the beautiful San Francisco Bay.  We look forward to making our Earth Day Cruise onboard the Hornblower Hybrid an annual event, and look forward to seeing you next year!