Brisbane City Council budget 2023: Electric CityCat fleet to be tested
A mid-sized CityCat with solar panels is being pitched for Brisbane’s river fleet as council beefs up its green credentials.
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A solar-powered CityCat helping residents cross the river has become Brisbane City Council’s latest green project announced in the 2023-34 budget.
The protype EVCat is a 15m catamaran fitted with rooftop solar panels and accommodating 58 seated and 22 standing passengers.
Its size is midway between that of a full-size CityCat and the smaller KittyCat.
Council feasibility studies are expected to cost $445,000 over the next financial year.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said if studies were successful, Brisbane could one day own a fully electric river fleet.
“With almost 2.5 million trips taken on a CityCat or KittyCat a year, we need to start considering ways to make our fleet more sustainable in the future,” he said.
“We’re excited about the opportunity.
“We’re obviously planning the transition of transport when it comes to buses to zero-emission, but to do the same thing with ferries, this is the first important step and so we’re going to be working with the industry to build an EVCat.”
The EVCat investment is part of $35million ferry network investment, with council to spend an additional $7m on new double decker CityCats.
Once completed, the electric vessel is likely to be added to the Bulimba to Teneriffe cross-river service.
“Obviously we’ve got to plan it, we’ve got to build it and then put it into service,” Cr Schrinner said.
“The learnings from this first vessel will then help us when we make future investment decisions in our ferry network.
“What else can that technology apply to, can it apply to KittyCats, future CityCats.”
Feasibility studies will be conducted by council, River City Ferries and local ship builder Aus Ships.
Brisbane City Council has not revealed what any future costings for the EVCat may look like beyond the 2023-34 budget.
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