A Sydney-based company called Poseidon Marine H2 says it has engaged a team of internationally respected engineers who will help develop and build a hydrogen-powered boat by the third quarter of 2023.
Poseidon Marine H2 has signed an agreement with Dynamic Efficiency whose principal engineers, Peter Mastalir and Kevin Morgan, have been appointed to its board.
They intend to take the hull of an existing pleasure craft and redesign the fit-out before completing a number of tests to identify what technology is best suited for powering the vessel using hydrogen, and which will also be scalable across markets.
“Our number one goal is to build a better boat; it just happens to be that it will be powered by hydrogen,” Mastalir said. “The brief is to ensure it has an equivalent operational range, requires less maintenance, and is cheaper to run than traditional fuel sources like diesel.”
Launched in November, Poseidon Marine H2 is backed by Australian-owned investment firm Liberty Energy Capital, which is also behind another hydrogen transport start-up, Aviation H2, which also launched in November, and which wants to produce a hydrogen-fuelled plane in as little as 18 months.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.