The ship creates hydrogen by demineralising seawater, then separating the oxygen and hydrogen through electrolysis. The hydrogen is compressed at 350-700 bar, then stored in tanks ready to be used when needed.
Energy Observer was built in Canada in 1983 by naval architect Nigel Irens, in 1984 it became the first racing sailboat the break the 500-mile limit in 24 hours. Since then it has been lengthened four times to 30.5m long and 12.8m wide and weighs in at 28 metric tons.
A team of over 30 people, including architects, designers and engineers, worked to prepare the ship for its six-year voyage, in which it will navigate 50 countries and stop in 101 ports of call.
A northern European tour is scheduled for next year, including the UK. The crew aims to reach Tokyo in 2020, in time for the Olympic Games.
The ship is captained by professional racer Victorien Erussard, accompanied by leader of exploration Jérôme Delafosse, a deep-sea diver and filmmaker. During their journey, the team will produce documentary content about reliable energy sources.
“Energy Observer is a conversion that has a double meaning: to recycle a reliable and lightweight catamaran which is an around the world record holder and to invest in research and development, instead of in composites,” said Erussard.
Toyota is already using hydrogen to help power vehicles on land, including cars like the Mirai, as well as buses, trucks and forklifts.
“Energy Observer is an exciting initiative and we at Toyota Motor Europe are delighted to be associated with such a passionate and dedicated team,” said Matt Harrison, vice president of sales and marketing. “This project once again demonstrates the many practical uses of hydrogen that can be developed as we transition towards a hydrogen society.”
