Bill Gates bought the world's first hydrogen-powered yacht. This is her Aqua model companySinot's and his engine are fuel cells.
Bill Gates ordered the first yacht powered by liquid hydrogen as the heart of his engine room has the technology fuel cells, worth about $ 644 million and has a swimming pool, helipad, spa and gym.
The billionaire cofounder of Microsoft, ordered the 112m eco-luxury yacht Aqua when he saw it last year at report Monaco yacht show, by Dutch company Sinot.
The boat has five decks and space to accommodate 14 people and 31 crew members. It is environmentally friendly, as fuel cell technology only needs liquid hydrogen, which "breaks down" and then combines with oxygen in the air and saves free electrons, which is actually electricity.
Beneath the decks are two 28-ton tanks cooled to -253 οC and filled with liquid hydrogen. The fuel enters the fuel cells, breaks down into hydrogen ions, releasing electrons and generating electricity where it feeds two one-megawatt engines each, which are responsible for propelling the boat. The residues of the process are pure, high temperature pure water. This water is used for heating and hot water in the guest bathrooms.
The vessel is unlikely to hit the seas before 2024. But when launched it will be capable of reaching 17 knots and traveling 3.750 miles (or about London – New York) before it needs to be refueled.
As a reserve, the boat will also have a diesel engine, due to the lack of hydrogen refueling stations.
UPDATE: The news finally turned out to be false, after announcement by Sinot, which claims to have none order by Gates, and never had before. The news came from the great British news agency telegraph.co.uk and made the rounds Internet.
We apologize.