An Italian based company is in the advanced stages realising the first Italian vessel to be equipped with its certified hydrogen propulsion system.
Hydrocell, based in Bolzano, is working on a project to convert the 17m fishing boat Nobody’s Perfect from diesel to hydrogen propulsion.
The project is being developed in Venice, with key components already selected and currently undergoing testing.
Simultaneously, the Hydrocell team is working on a HYMAR control unit which will form the heart of the propulsion system.
This project involves the refitting of Nobody’s Perfect, built in 1978 in Bordeaux, with the first hydrogen engine managed by the control unit developed by Hydrocell with the aim to have the revamped fishing boat set sail from Venice at the 2025 Venice Boat Show.
We are well on track with our project plan.
Hydrocell CEO, Karl Manfredi
“We are well on track with our project plan, which foresees the conversion of the propulsion system from diesel to hydrogen during the winter months, followed by functional tests on land and then in the waters of the Venice Lagoon,” said Hydrocell CEO, Karl Manfredi. “Our goal is to be ready to showcase the hydrogen-powered boat next May at the Salone Nautico Venezia.”
The project is funded by Hydrocell’s three founding partners, Karl Manfredi who was the former CEO of Brennercom; president Federico Giudiceandrea, an electronic engineer, founder of TTControl, co-owner of Microtec and Classic Boats Venice; and CTO Walter Huber, a chemical engineer, founder of the IIT Hydrogen Center in Bolzano.
Hydrocell is aiming to make boating CO2-Free through the use of hydrogen.
The project will be shown at the Hydrogen Expo in Piacenza, Italy in September 2024 and the Salone Nautico di Puglia in Brindisi, in October 2024.
