This is a little futuristic and still in the concept phase but I’d like to talk about it since it ranks high on my “coolness” gauge. A British design company called Seymourpowell was commissioned by Samsung Construction and Trading (C&T) to come up with a futuristic design for hydrogen powered air travel.
The Seymourpowell Aircruise is the result of this futuristic thinking. The idea behind the Seymourpowell Aircruise Concept is that it will be a floating luxury hotel that is over 800 feet tall and will float like a large balloon over cityscapes or dramatic landscapes like the watching of the migration of the wildebeests in Kenya. An ocean trip from New York to London would take 37 hours.
The Seymourpowell Aircruise would accept up to 100 guests, and 10 luxury apartments would be up for grabs. The photos on this page do not do the Seymourpowell Aircruise concept justice so here’s a video on the vision.
Now, I don’t want any hydrogen haters helping to harbor comparisons to the Hindenburg here. The Seymourpowell Aircruise will above all be safe. Hydrogen gas will provide the lift. The airship will also be powered by solar energy plus several hydrogen fuel cells which will provide not only the motivation but also safe drinking water for the customers.
This serene type of air travel will include large spaces within the craft for dining, lounging and a bar for entertainment. The crew at Seymourpowell anticipate that the Aircruise hotel could be ready as early as 2015 if the project is a go. This may be a bit pie-in-the-sky as far as how future hydrogen travel may go. Then again, perhaps the sky is the limit and we are only limited by our current imaginations.