Michael Eaglen

Michael Eaglen describes himself as a “boat guy.”

It is a modest term for the CEO and founder of design and engineering company EV Maritime who is on a bold mission to reshape on-water public transport systems both in Aotearoa and around the world.

The highly regarded naval architect has led his team to create an electric ferry which is cost-effective, reliable, and scalable, and launched the first of two identical boats in June this year for Auckland Transport.

At the heart of years of research, development, and sheer commitment to a concept which goes beyond simply “electrifying yesterdays’ ferries”, is a man wanting to make a difference.

“Maybe we get greener as we get older,” he comments.

In 2018 he determined that Auckland’s ferries accounted for 20% of the city’s overall public transport emissions and burnt up to 13 million litres of diesel annually, despite ferries representing only 6% of annual passenger journeys.

But Michael saw an opportunity, and a need, to move the dial much more than that.

“We really wanted to lean into the challenges of the modern city and help improve public transport systems, attract more people into public transport, and decarbonise our whole passenger transport sector,” he explains.

EV Maritime’s flagship, the EVM200, is a 200-passenger battery electric ferry which offers service speeds of up to 25 knots, a range of around 40 kilometers, and has been hydrodynamically optimized through collaboration with Emirates Team New Zealand to create a low-drag, low-wash hull that is smooth through the water.

Michael sees its launch as the starting point for zero emissions passenger transport across Auckland’s ferry fleet.

He reflects on the journey to get this far, which involved a brave move to leave his position as CEO of famed Auckland shipyard McMullen and Wing and launch his company and concept on the brink of COVID.

“At the time, I’d resigned from a good job, and although we had a little bit of funding, we had to make that last. Because of COVID, we had to make it last a lot longer than we’d hoped. So, I didn’t draw a salary for a year and a half, and the team that we did have dropped to four days a week. We worked like mad through COVID, lobbying everyone we could find, and partnered with Fullers to put up some pretty strong bids for government funding,” he says.

As Auckland Transport confirmed their support and other funding sources trickled in, they workshopped design ideas and also talked about the infrastructure that would be required.

The careful design and build of the ferries have resulted in vessels which feel spacious, provide ample bike parking, and deliver a more user-friendly experience.

But sustainability runs deep in EV Maritime’s ethos and Michael says the lifecycle equation is also extremely compelling.

“The amount of emissions that we displace over the operation of these boats, four or 5000 hours a year is absolutely colossal. And it’s only a matter of months before you’ve paid for the embedded emissions of your batteries, and your power electronics, and you’re on a genuine win for decades to come,” he explains.

An impressive charging installation is already in place in Half Moon Bay and, once the systems are in place at all terminals, the ultimate goal is to be able to eliminate downtime completely by fast-charging while passengers are loading and unloading.

Michael says the company is not just about building ferries, but also about standardising the platforms for their boats.

“The cost and complexity of the early prototype projects around the world is not sustainable. We believe standardization is the key to accelerating the transition.

The EVM200 was designed with no one specific customer in mind, but for a whole market.

“And there’s different adaptations of this platform to each market to suit the specifics of each harbor,” he says.

The drive to create a fleet of the same boats can be likened to how the initial stages of air travel would have evolved.

“When someone built the first airplane, they would not have had a plan for what was needed globally to facilitate air travel. That evolved later, airports and so on. Having the same planes within a fleet means services, terminals, and systems all become much simpler to manage,” he says.

Salt water has always been in Michael’s veins, from sailing a P-Class at Kohimarama to working for Emirates Team New Zealand and within the superyacht industry.

“I’ve always needed to be around the water. Even as a student I felt the need to make the ocean part of my career. I studied engineering before transferring to naval architecture halfway through, and have been a boat guy ever since,” he laughs.

Michael’s career has now spanned over 25 years in the marine industry, and encompasses yacht design, America’s Cup optimization, structural engineering, and shipyard management.

Building the team at EV Maritime has been a rewarding culmination of all the experience he’s built over the years.

“Doing EV ferries feels like the only logical thing I could really do, given all the things I have done before.”

EV Maritime is expanding beyond New Zealand and Michael says this year has brought exciting developments as the quest to decarbonise the harbor cities of the world catches on.

EV Maritime has also found success in the USA.

Current projects include a hybrid-electric ferry in San Francisco, a product development contract for two smaller high speed electric passenger vessels, and consultancy engagement for public transit agencies.

Further afield, the firm has formed shipyard collaborations in Canada and Australia, and also has developments in train in Southeast Asia, and Europe.

“There’s a lot that New Zealand is good at, niche areas in which we’re leading the world. We see our role as taking New Zealand marine industry expertise and focusing it on doing good in the world.”