The hydrogen-powered tracking boats have been the big novelty of the 37th America’s Cup and some of its teams have developed their own units, highlighting the progression of the French Orient Express Racing which has taken another step in the research of this type of boats .
The so-called ‘Zero Boats’ or high-speed hydrogen vessels (HSV) – each team in the 37th America’s Cup had to have one – were the only authorized assistance boats in the area of the regatta course.
Having completed its competition, the French Orient Express Racing is now moving forward to create a completely ecological commercial motorboat variant.
Stephan Kandler, founder of the K-Challenge, who supports the team stated: “Competition makes you smarter.” In addition to the intense navigation, the demands of the HSV represented a real opportunity for us to innovate.”.
He added: «The first HSV served as a laboratory to develop version 2, which is dedicated to the commercial market for coastal motor boats of less than 30 meters. “The new model we have designed will be presented at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice in June 2025.”
«Our project has the support of the French Secretariat of State for the Sea, after the signing of a collaboration agreement on R&D that will make it possible to generalize the use of the technological elements of the hydrogen ship within the framework of the France initiative. Mer 2030 »he concluded.
Each America’s Cup participant had at least one boat with foils, powered by 160 kW hydrogen fuel cells, capable of maintaining a cruising speed of 30 knots (55 km/h) for a minimum of 150 miles. nautical speeds (278 km), while it could reach a maximum speed of 50 knots (90 km/h) for more than an hour of navigation during the day.
K-Challenge Lab, the R&D department of the K-Challenge team, accepted the technological challenge together with a European consortium to develop a 33-foot (10-meter) long hydrogen catamaran that flies on hydrofoils and designed by architect French Philippe Briand, powered by two REXH2® fuel cells coupled to three 63 kWh batteries from hydrogen specialist EODev, and built by Italian shipyard Bluegame.
“We joined forces with a consortium that worked with experts for months to meet these very precise specifications”explained Antoine Carraz, technical director of Orient Express Racing, who built the AC75 for French competition and supervised the construction of the hydrogen boat.
«There were several important limitations to take into account. Firstly, the need to sail for long periods at high speed, which requires performance that boats powered solely by batteries cannot achieve, even in catamarans with foils, due to the weight and volume occupied by the batteries. . Hence the need for a combination of solutions, including a hybrid system using hydrogen,” Carraz detailed
«We also know that the shape and total surface area of the hull in contact with the water are key factors in terms of energy efficiency. Hence the catamaran. Although the aerodynamic resistance is lower in a seaplane, we must not forget the takeoff phase of the boat, which consumes a lot of energy.. he concluded.
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