Meet The Wenatchee, Washington’s First Electrified Ferry

I've written about my love of the Washington State ferry system and riding on Washington State ferries over the last couple of years, so I'm really excited to bring this story to you. It was just announced yesterday, (7/10/25) that Washington state's first “electrified” ferry is now in operation. 

According to seattletimes.com,
‘Moments after the ferry Wenatchee set sail Thursday, Gov. Bob Ferguson floated the idea that the first of the state ferries to be converted to hybrid-electric power should be renamed for the person standing just behind him, former Gov. Jay Inslee.
Inslee, who set the state ferry system on course to be fully electrified by 2040, smiled and said it should be named for his wife, Trudi, before later saying it actually should be named for the head of ferries, Steve Nevey.’ 

The ferry that the article talks about is the Wenatchee. About two years ago, it went into a dry dock to go through a conversion from full diesel operation to a hybrid diesel operation. (That's why they call it “electrified.”) The propellers are actually driven by electric motors. 

After two years in the dry dock. Changing out engines, adding generators and batteries, miles and miles of copper wire, and a About $133 million. The Wenatchee is back in service as Washington state's first hybrid or electrified ferry. 

Over the next several years, Washington state is planning on spending about $4 billion to convert 6 more ferries from full diesel operation to hybrid, electrified operation. This will also pay for the construction of 16 new Hybrid boats and also retrofit charging stations into 16 different ferry terminals. The contracts for the first 3 new boats have been awarded to a company in Florida. 

The thing to keep in mind here is this is not just some “woke tree” hugging reaction to modern times. This is actually a very practical and better use of resources and operational efficiency for the Washington State ferry system. These boats will be more efficient, they will last longer, and they will require less maintenance than current diesel boats. 

There are also plans to retire 13 of the existing diesel ferries that are in operation now. The Washington State ferry system is the largest ferry system in the nation. 

The Wenatchee was built in 1998. its classification is jumbo mark II and it will be able to transport 1700 people and up to 200 cars per trip. It will sound a little bit different from the original Wenatchee. When it's in operation, the rumble will not be quite as loud.  

I don't know if it'll vibrate through the hull like the old diesel boats currently do.  

Every time I think about the Washington State ferry system, I get a little nostalgic and I hope I get the opportunity someday soon to ride the Wenatchee and find out for myself if it feels any different than it did in the old days.  

WA’s first electrified ferry sails, with 2 governors on board | The Seattle Times 
Ferguson selects Florida shipbuilder to build WA fleet of electric ferries | The Seattle Times