Hopium and K-Challenge/Orient-Express Racing Team sign partnership to develop hydrogen power systems for maritime applications.
HOPIUM (FR0014000U63 – ALHPI), the cleantech which aims to decarbonize transport announces the signing of a partnership with K-Challenge , the sport-tech which brings together the best sailors and the best of technology with the aim of winning the biggest international sailing competitions including the America’s Cup. This long-term partnership aims to develop a platform of hydrogen solutions for boats less than 30m. The first step in this partnership will be to equip, next year, a Chase Boat type demonstrator , the Orient Express Racing Team support boat, with a Hopium fuel cell system with a power of 160 kW. Thanks to the Hopium system, K-Challenge will be able to benefit from a carbon-free fuel cell system, more compact and above all more efficient.
STEPHAN KANDLER, FOUNDING PRESIDENT AND CO-DIRECTOR OF K-CHALLENGE, said:
WE ARE DELIGHTED TO WELCOME HOPIUM TO THE FRENCH CONSORTIUM DEDICATED TO THE CREATION OF AN EFFICIENT FRENCH NAVAL HYDROGEN SECTOR WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES.
“OUR FIRST PROTOTYPE WILL BE DELIVERED WITHIN A FEW WEEKS AND OUR R&D PROGRAM FOR THE 2ND GENERATION WILL START WITH THE NEW HOPIUM FUEL CELL. WE WILL SOON ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL PARTNERS WHO WILL ALLOW FRANCE TO MAINTAIN ITS WORLD LEADERSHIP IN PRIVATE AND PROFESSIONAL BOATING. »
STÉPHANE RABATEL, CEO OF HOPIUM UNDERLINED:
WE ARE DELIGHTED WITH THIS FIRST PARTNERSHIP IN THE SPORTS COMPETITION SECTOR WHICH WILL ALLOW ONE OF OUR SYSTEMS TO BE INSTALLED IN A BOAT FROM 2025.
“FURTHERMORE, WE ARE PROUD TO DEVELOP THIS PROJECT ALONGSIDE THE K-CHALLENGE LAB TEAMS, WITH WHOM WE SHARE THE SAME DNA FOR INNOVATIVE AND EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES IN FAVOR OF DECARBONIZATION. CHOOSING THE HOPIUM FUEL CELL FROM 2025, FOR THIS HYDROGEN-POWERED BOAT OF THE FRENCH AMERICA’S CUP CHALLENGER, SHOWS THE SECTOR’S GROWING INTEREST IN OUR TECHNOLOGY AND THE VERSATILITY OF OUR SYSTEM IN THE MARITIME SECTOR. I THANK ALL OF THE K-CHALLENGE TEAMS FOR THEIR TRUST. »
Driven by common values, a sense of community and sustainable and innovative technologies, K-Challenge Lab and Hopium work to develop innovative solutions in the field of mobility, transport and ecological transition.
This first partnership confirms the relevance of Hopium’s positioning and attests to the versatility of its fuel cell, one of the first systems of which will be installed in a maritime vehicle. True open-air laboratories, the naval sector and competition applications are exploratory avenues for Hopium in which innovation takes shape and the frontiers of mobility are pushed back.
Building on this partnership, Hopium confirms its development schedule with the announcement in July of the results of bench tests of its battery, road tests in the fall of 2024 and marketing of the first batteries for the beginning of 2025.
READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central
Hopium and K-Challenge/Orient-Express Racing Team sign partnership to develop hydrogen power systems for maritime applications. source
