Spanish builder to develop hydrogen fuel cell tech across fleet

Barcelona-based electric boat-builder Magonis Boats has partnered with two research institutions to develop custom hydrogen fuel cell technology for its upcoming fleet.

Magonis is partnering with the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), and the Eurecat Technology Centre of Catalonia, to integrate hydrogen fuel cell technology into their future units.

“When people think of switching from combustion to electric, they imagine tradeoffs, but we are showing the market that going electric is actually an upgrade with smart, limitless possibilities,” says François Jozic, CEO of Magonis.

Magonis says the amount of CO2 produced from a single small boat, with a 5hp combustion engine, is equivalent to 39 cars operating on the highway each year. Emissions have a serious impact on lakes, rivers, and oceans without including the additional destruction caused by oil and motor fluid leaks. In Europe alone, over 36 million people participate in regular leisure boating, a figure that is growing by 10 per cent per year.

Governments across Europe, where inland waterway navigation is crucial, are busy creating new policies and tax incentives towards green energy boats to minimise pollution and its effects on nearby cities, ecosystems, and inhabitants.

“We’re thrilled to develop Magonis’ H2 implementation alongside the most powerful technological centres of southern Europe,” says Miquel Antonio, technical director at Magonis.

Electric boats are currently built for day trips, but for longer cruising or island hopping, a hydrogen fuel cell range extender offers a good solution. By unlocking the full benefits of using hydrogen fuel cells, the range gap between combustion and electric engines is expected to continue shrinking.