Update: It appears the rumours were not true. Sinot, the company behind the design, say they have no business relationship with Bill Gates, and he has not purchased the Superyacth. “Aqua is a concept under development and has not been sold to Mr Gates,” a spokeswoman said.
Bill Gates revealed this week that he has recently purchased his first electric vehicle (EV), a Porsche Taycan. But it appears the retired tech billionaire has another electric mode of transportation coming soon, a hydrogen-powered superyacht.
The superyacht, believed to cost $860 million, will be built by the Dutch superyacht specialist, Feadship. It will be based on a 372ft (113 meter) vessel, dubbed Aqua, that was publicized at the Monaco Yacht Show last year.
The design will include two 28-ton vacuum-sealed tanks to store the liquid hydrogen. Those fuel cells will power the two 1 megawatt motors, providing a claimed top speed of 17 knots, with a cruising speed of 10-12 knots.
To help with refuelling the hydrogen fuel tanks, there are also plans to build the necessary infrastructure to refuel at the ship’s home port.
The superyacht will have a targeted range of 3,750 nautical miles, and is expected to be complete and in the water by 2024.
When you’re worth an estimated $118 billion, why not splurge and build a massive hydrogen powered superyacht?
h/t [The Telegraph]
