One of the best Bloomberg-approved cheap dates in town is getting a little bit greener this year. That's because the Department of Transportation is planning on using some federal funding to convert one of its smaller "Austen class" Staten Island Ferries so it runs on liquefied natural gas rather than ultra-low sulfur diesel. The change should really save the city a boatload. Bah-dum-ching!
"We always look for opportunities to innovate and test new technologies and resources to further green its operations,” a Department of Transportation spokesman told the News of the change, which will take place during a routine dry docking. How much the city will save from the conversion, which is being paid for thanks to a $3 million federal infrastructure grant of which the city pitched in $600k, is not entirely clear. But it isn't anything to sniff at: Each ferry has a 40,000 gallon diesel fuel tank and ultra-low-sulfer diesel right now runs $2.92 a gallon.
In addition to the cost savings the change should also reduce the boat's carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent while not impacting current service. The DOT has not specified which of its two 40-foot-wide Austen class ferries (which carry 1,107 people with a crew of nine) will be converted.
