A new hydrogen fuel cell platform using Honda’s proven technology to move across from road transport to introduce the power system to the maritime sector. 

The Hypermotive X-M1, seen by Ship Technology at SMM in Hamburg, claims to be a “scalable, modular… and reliable” fuel source for vessels across a range of use cases. 

“X-M1 is designed to bring sustainable energy and reliable performance to a variety of newbuild and existing vessels, including cruise ships, ferries, workboats, motor yachts, and more,” the company said. 

Hypermotive was described as an electrical engineering firm, which is using its System-X hardware and software to manage the Honda hydrogen fuel cell in a shipping context. 

“[The] ecosystem of hardware and software products accelerate the implementation of optimised hydrogen power systems using fuel cells, compressed gas storage, and the connectivity of those power systems to their applications and the cloud,” Hypermotive explained. 

Credit: Ship Technology/Patrick R Atack

Adam Huckstep, CEO of Hypermotive, explained the company’s success in automotive is the bedrock of its expansion into maritime.

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“We understand the growing pressures and immense challenges of our customers, especially when it comes to reducing emissions. Addressing these demands with the need to control costs and ensure optimum safety and reliability is no mean feat. Leveraging our expertise in hydrogen systems and collaborating with industry leaders like Honda has enabled us to meet those challenges head-on and create new opportunities in the sector.”

While both Honda and Hypermotive were keen to show the technology to the industry at SMM, they stressed the tool is still under development. Proof of concept trials are slated for 2025, but when it could come to market as a newbuild or retrofit solution is yet unclear. 

“There is a great opportunity with the maritime industry to demonstrate the performance and efficiency of a hydrogen solution like X-M1, which is a significant step towards achieving carbon neutrality in this sector,” said  Ingo Nyhues, of Honda Motor Europe.