Have You Ever Heard of Hybrid Tugboats?

In the bright LA sunshine I bought a copy of the Los Angeles Times and read a story about hybrid tug boats. This is an initiative not many are aware of; along with vehicle tailpipe emissions, the EPA is after trains, ships and planes to also reduce their emissions. In the port of LA, tugboats using a hybrid technology modeled after Toyota’s Prius is expected to reduce emissions by 44%, using Foss Maritime’s recently developed combination propulsion systems.

They will still rely on the large diesel engines to do the heavy pulling that tugboats are known for, but for putting around the harbor and doing less strenous tasks the quiet electric motors will take over. LA has the largest port in the US, and here is where the new tugs will begin working.