The British power catamaran Archipelago zero.63 is taking the issue of decarbonisation of pleasure boating in a whole new direction. Farewell to electric propulsion, rare earths and metals, and welcome aboard methanol, a fuel that is easy to transport and that will power the engines directly, as well as a fuel cell for services.

Methanol engines

ICE engines that run on methanol are based on diesel engines. They run on a mixture of methanol and a lubrication additive. But what is the advantage of burning methanol in a modified diesel engine?

Methanol combustion produces CO2 and water. No soot (PPM), no sulphur oxides and 70% less NOX emissions.

When you consider the production of clean methanol, which uses CO2 captured during its industrial emission, you get a CO2-neutral fuel.

Archipelago zero.63

The boat is built in aluminium, a solid material that fits like a glove with its ocean range (4000 NM). 4000 NM, the range of a diesel.

Methanol contains half the energy of a diesel in the same unit volume at constant temperature and pressure. The 50% extra weight of fuel needed to achieve a range comparable with that of a diesel is much less than that of the batteries in hybrid or electric systems.

The two engines provide conventional shaftline propulsion, a technology whose maintenance is identical to that of diesels.

Energy for the services is provided by a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), a device that has proved its worth at Evoy for decades.

These fuel cells have a lower ink yield than hydrogen fuel cells, but benefit from a fuel that is easy to store and supply.

Like a diesel generator, the fuel cell recharges a conventionally sized service fleet.

Comment: This unprecedented approach on a boat of this size opens up interesting prospects outside the all-electric sector, which is enjoying strong appeal in all segments of mobility. 

With conventional engines, few batteries and a fuel that is already distributed in all the world's major ports, all that is needed to make it a credible alternative to hybrid electric systems is the production of green methanol, based on captured CO2.

This Archipelago zero.63 could benefit from the installation of an in-line generator, driven by the propulsion engines, to further simplify its electrical installation.