Automakers are taking a close look at hydrogen power
– and not just for passenger cars. Mercedes just revealed a Sprinter van
prototype with a fuel cell, and now Toyota‘s revealed something much, much
larger that also aims to harness the lightest element on the periodic table. It’s called the Energy Observer,
and it’s billed as the world first hydrogen-powered ship. The catamaran
measures over 100 feet long, 42 feet wide, and displaces 28 metric tons.
The Energy Observer launched in France last year on
a six-year mission to test propulsion from renewable sources. With support from
Toyota Motor Europe, it aims to complete the first circumnavigation of the
globe on hydrogen power. It’s currently in the Mediterranean, will heading for
Northern Europe next year, and aims to arrive in Tokyo in time for the Olympics
in 2020.
Toyota is one of several automakers experimenting
with hydrogen power. In addition to the Mirai fuel-cell vehicle, it’s working
on buses, trucks, and even forklifts using the renewable power source.
