Emirates Team New Zealand Launch Hydrogen Foiling Chase Boat

Emirates Team New Zealand launched their prototype hydrogen powered foiling chase boat in Auckland with Emirates Team New Zealand team member Andrea Joy christening her ’Chase Zero’ in front of the wider team. Chase Zero is the first boat to be launched in this America’s Cup cycle, and one that is hoped will set the foundations of a seismic shift towards a cleaner more sustainable future in powerboating around the world.With the AC75 class already locked in for the next America’s Cup and with a continued drive towards a more sustainable future, the focus quickly shifted to the on-water chase boats. During the measurement of the carbon emissions of the teams last campaign to become carbonzero certified, it was obvious the chase boats were a sizable contributor to the overall emissions. And so, the fixation on Hydrogen powered foiling chase boats was born. Initial consultation received suggested this was not the 12-month project the team was looking for.It was a big effort to get the boat built at ownfacility and then it's been a massive effort from the fit-out team here at the base, just getting all these powertrain components in and all the respective bits of hardware. I don't think we realize how significant it is. I think there's almost no other boats like this around. The next boats like this are still a long way away, so I think once it's in the water and running, we will realize just how important it is on the world stage.”Admittedly projects like this don’t just happen, Chase Zero, which will cruise at 35 knots with a top speed over 50 knots, is the culmination of the collective input of the team and several vital partners.

Emirates Team New Zealand Launch Hydrogen Foiling Chase Boat

Strategic Research Institute

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