EXPO NEWS Day 2: Modular zero-emission power generator completes seven-year odyssey

With a footprint of less than 2m³ and a weight of 540kg, EODev (Booth 1224) is reporting strong interest in its REXH₂onboard solution for zero-emission navigation at this year’s show. REXH₂ is a modular solution developed around Toyota’s latest-generation fuel cell, enabling CO₂ emission-free, fine-particle-free and noise-free maritime and river mobility. Its custom application allows for propulsion and/or operation of onboard systems using hydrogen, and EODev claims that in relation to the power delivered, it is one of the most compact and efficient range extenders on the market.

EODev and Toyota’s R&D teams have worked hard to ensure the REXH₂ can cope with the extreme conditions of the marine environment, while reaching power levels of 70kW per unit, and all the way up to megawatts when stacked. It is this flexibility in implementation that makes REXH₂ the ideal generator for tailor-made hydrogen solutions for propulsion and the supply of decarbonated energy at sea.

The technology has just completed a seven-year odyssey around the world on board laboratory vessel Energy Observer, which returned to Saint-Malo, France, last week. Since her launch back in April 2017, Energy Observer has covered more than 68,000 nautical miles – more than three times around the world – visited 50 countries and made 101 stopovers – proving the viability of clean, renewable technologies in all possible conditions, from the cold of the Arctic to the heat of the tropics.

The floating laboratory operates on a mix of renewable energies, propulsion wings and a complete hydrogen chain, demonstrating the viability of these low-carbon solutions in a variety of climatic and geographical conditions. EODev, a pioneer and world leader in the market for hydrogen-powered electric generators, is a key part of the project.

“REXH₂ is on board Energy Observer,” Hermance Baraud, business development, EODev, told Electric & Hybrid Marine Technology International during Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo Europe.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from visitors from the very start of the show, who are not just interested in the Energy Observer project but are also looking to secure similar technology for their own projects. We’ve seen a lot of integrators. There’s a lot more interest in hydrogen in general for marine applications – and we have other customers and case studies, for example in the superyacht sector, that are already on the water right now. We are not offering a prototype, we are completely industrialized, so if you need one of our products, it is available right now.”

Booth 1224