As a propulsion source for boating, hydrogen has a lot going for it. When coupled with a fuel cell, the lightest gas in existence provides a clean and high-efficiency means of electrically spinning a propeller. Over the last couple of years too, new technologies have emerged that allow hydrogen to be produced through electrolysis with seawater. One day soon, while out at sea with a solar array, you could literally end up refining your own endless source of fuel.
Battery technology has of course, been getting the lion’s share of attention over the last few years, but batteries are hydrofoiling catamaran. She’s arguably the most sophisticated, forward leaning vessel ever built: a 33-foot, six-passenger bullet that can hit 50 knots and cruise at 35 with a range of over 112 nautical miles. Below decks, four 73-gallon composite fuel tanks bear hydrogen compressed to 5100 pounds per square inch. Adapted from Toyota’s second-generation Mirai automobile, her high-reliability fuel cells drive two 400 volt electric motors that generate a total of nearly 600 hp.
