Embarking On The Future With Toyota’s Revolutionary Boat

Global warming and climate change issues are being the buzzwords lately. Because of this, going green and being environment-friendly is becoming the new trend.

In participation of Toyota Motor Europe, Energy Observer launched in 2017 at Saint-Malo, France. Their aim and vision is to make hydrogen as the key to accelerating energy transition.

Energy Observer is the first autonomous eco-friendly hydrogen-powered vessel.

The vessel does not emit harmful chemicals, greenhouse gases, or fine particles. It is propelled electrically through a power source, combining renewable energies and a system that processes seawater to produce carbon-free hydrogen.

Toyota Motor Europe Vice President of Sales and Marketing Matt Harrison said:

“Energy Observer is an exciting initiative, and we at Toyota Motor Europe are delighted to be associated with such a passionate and dedicated team. This project once again demonstrates the many practical uses of hydrogen that can be developed as we transition towards a hydrogen society.”

Definitely more than just a boat!

Aside from being a vessel, the Energy Observer is a showcase of innovation. It supports future energy networks to pave the way for large-scale applications and mainstream adoption.

The specs of the vessel, being hydrogen-powered, already has a significant weight advantage over boats with an expensive battery storage solution. With regards to energy storage, hydrogen also addresses the issue of discontinuous energy supply on both land and sea.

Six years of an exploratory expedition.

The team behind Energy Observer plans to do a worldwide tour as part of promoting the model and the technology. This journey is a considerable challenge concerning technological capacity and human capability. Both the crew and the onboard technology will be tested by going through extreme conditions and navigating around the globe as the world’s first energy-autonomous boat. Victorien Erussard and Jérôme Delafosse will be leading the crew.

Victorien Erussard, captain and founder of Energy Observer, stated:

“We are really excited to have Toyota Motor Europe on-board for this mission. We share the vision of hydrogen as the key for accelerating energy transition, a vision that we wish to carry to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.”

Energy Observer is currently in the Mediterranean, moving up to Northern Europe by 2019, and finally targets to reach Tokyo by 2020 in time for the Olympic Games.