A hydrogen-powered concept boat
The young company Inocel, unveiled at the Paris Boat Show, a speed boat, equipped with two parallel hydrogen fuel cells, powering an electric motor. This Italian offshore, a Tullio Abbate 27 is at this stage a concept boat to highlight the work done by the company for the marinization of their hydrogen power generation systems. It can accommodate 21 kilos of hydrogen to power two 300 kW batteries, limited in this case to 360 kW in total given the efforts bearable by the small boat of 8.20 meters.
A technology born of fundamental research
Inocel's hydrogen fuel cells are based on a technology developed by the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in Grenoble. Mauro Ricci, founder of Akka Technologies, and the adventurer Mike Horn are at the helm of bringing it to market through Inocel, which has been working on it since 2020. The modules, designed for hydrogen-powered cars, are today primarily dedicated to fast boats, with a unit power of 300 kW, below which the company does not wish to go.
The battery alone weighs 100 kg, in addition to which 50 kg of auxiliaries must be added. The 700 bar tanks, of which there are 3 on the boat on display, weigh 23.8 kg.
Commercialization in 2024
In the future, Inocel will position itself as a complete supplier to shipyards, as its communications manager, Jessica Horn, explains. "Our proposal with the shipyards is complete. We work with them on integration on the boat, maintenance, but also on command control and all the elements needed for hydrogen."
The company is now moving from the research stage to commercial and industrial deployment. A capital increase of 10 Meuros took place in May 2022. Inocel will offer its batteries in pre-production in 2023 and plans to launch a mass market in 2024.
