An unprecedented hydrogen-powered crossing
The members of Hydro Motion are embarking on an unprecedented challenge: to cross the North Sea, using only hydrogen as fuel. The team, from the Dutch technical faculty di TU Delft, intends to reach the UK coast from the Netherlands, using a boat specially designed for the purpose. The crossing, the precise details of which are not yet available, will involve over 400 km of sailing, and will therefore require considerable autonomy, while limiting consumption.
Demonstrating the relevance of hydrogen for offshore sailing
The Hydro Motion team benefits from the experience of the University of Delft, which has been taking part in student solar boat challenges and the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge since 2010, with several successes and victories. A first boat using a hydrogen fuel cell, initiated in 2020, earned Hydro Motion victories in the Monaco Open Sea Class competition, paving the way for a new project: crossing the North Sea. The team intends to demonstrate the benefits of the hydrogen fuel cell, its energy density and its potential for sailing with autonomy in all maritime applications.
A hydrogen-powered foil boat
While the America's Cup chaseboats are also flying and hydrogen-powered, they don't venture into the waves of the North Sea. Hydro Motion has opted for a monohull design, with a very strong V at the bow for passage through the waves. The 8m-long boat features T-shaped foils with very long shafts, enabling it to fly high above the North Sea swell. The students, who built the boat entirely in-house, drew on all the University's skills, from composites and materials, with the construction of the carbon vacuum hull, to the machining of the 2m-high metal shafts, to electricity in the design of a buffer battery, energy for the hydrogen network, including 3 pressurized tanks of 8.3kg of hydrogen each behind the pilots and a 40kW battery, and automation for the piloting and flight systems.
Hydro Motion is aiming for a cruising speed of 40 km/h, i.e. over 21 knots, and a crossing within a day. Trials are now underway, with Hydro Motion aiming for a crossing to England in July 2024.
