A Dutch fuel cell boat, the Hydrogen Xperiance, will be making waves on June 23, 2006. The hydrogen boat will be introduced at the Frisian Nuon Solar Challenge boat race as a “chase” express boat for VIP’s. The hydrogen boat was created by Ecofys in collaboration with Ganita Shipyard. The Hydrogen Xperiance will travel the full distance of 132 miles without refueling.
According to Robert van den Hoed of Ecofys, “The sloop will be able to travel for two to three days without refueling. Besides, a fuel cell boat can be recharged within 15 minutes by switching the hydrogen cylinders, rather than the 4-6 hours recharging needed for traditional electric boats.”
The same hydrogen boat, according to Edie News, is going to be rolled out as the world’s first mass-produced commercial hydrogen vessel. The initial cost for the boat’s fuel cell was approximately $40,000 but will come down to around $10,000 when produced on a large scale.
In other H2 boating news, the Hydrogen Expedition fuel cell boat is expected to be the first hydrogen boat to circumnavigate the world. Just under 24-feet in length, the Hydrogen Expedition, developed by Joseph F. Sahid, is expected to be an international event, calling attention to the impressive capabilities of the hydrogen fuel cell.
It’s one thing to have hydrogen cars rolling down the highways and roadways of the world, but hydrogen boats add a whole new element of danger to the equation. Water they thinking?
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