The electrification of transportation has expanded well beyond automobiles and bicycles to include the marine industry.

Large ports, like the one in Long Beach, California, are switching to emissions-free electricity for vehicles like forklifts, drayage trucks, and even tugboats. Ferry companies operating on rivers and other bodies of water are also considering using all-electric propulsion.

Although a ferry in Gee's Bend, Alabama, on the Alabama River began operations in 2019, a ferry servicing Angel Island State Park in the San Francisco Bay will undergo a battery-electric vessel conversion. The Alabama Department of Transportation owns the Gee's Bend ferry, which is run by City Experiences, a branch of Hornblower Group, a provider of water transportation services.

According to Tim Aguirre, general manager of HMS Ferries Alabama, "For the last 15 years, Hornblower has been in the forefront of implementing ecologically responsible, emissions-reducing solutions across a wide spectrum of propulsion systems and energy inputs."

The Alabama ferry that connects Gee's Bend and Camden carries 129 passengers and 18 vehicles. According to Aguirre, given battery range and charging capabilities, plugin, battery-electric technology is the most logical option given the short distance of only 1.5 nautical miles.