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Bill Gates orders £500m hydrogen-powered superyacht


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Microsoft billionaire’s innovative and eco-fuelled 112m Aqua vessel to launch after 2024

 

The ‘Aqua’ superyacht powered by liquid hydrogen

The ‘Aqua’ superyacht powered by liquid hydrogen - a snip at £500m. It can travel 3,750 miles before it needs to refuel. Photograph: Sinot/Cover Images

 

Bill Gates has ordered the world’s first hydrogen-powered superyacht, worth an estimated £500m ($644m) and featuring an infinity pool, helipad, spa and gym.

 

The billionaire co-founder of Microsoft has commissioned the Aqua ship – a 112-metre (370ft) luxury vessel completely powered by liquid hydrogen – which was publicised last year at the Monaco yacht show by the Dutch design firm Sinot.

 

Speaking about the project last year, the marine designer Sander Sinot said: “For the development of Aqua we took inspiration from the lifestyle of a discerning, forward-looking owner, the fluid versatility of water and cutting-edge technology, to combine this in a superyacht with truly innovative features.”

 

The boat has five decks and space to accommodate 14 guests and 31 crew members. In a further environmentally friendly feature, gel-fuelled fire bowls allow guests to stay warm outside without having to burn wood or coals.

 

But its most cutting-edge feature is tucked away below decks - two 28-tonne vacuum-sealed tanks that are cooled to -423F (-253C) and filled with liquid hydrogen, which powers the ship. The fuel will generate power for the two one-megawatt motors and propellors via on-board fuel cells, which combine hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity. Water is a byproduct.

 

Gates, 64, who is currently ranked as the world’s second-richest man with a $118bn (£92bn) fortune, is a regular superyacht holidaymaker who has not previously owned his own vessel. Typically renting yachts for his own use, in the past he has holidayed off the coast of Sardinia onboard the $330m yacht Serene, which is owned by the Stolichnaya vodka magnate, Yuri Scheffler.

 

The investment underlines Gates’s long-standing interest in alternative fuels, and his enthusiasm for new technology that could tackle emissions from industry and transport that together make up 75% of the world’s carbon footprint.

 

He is an investor in Heliogen, a Californian startup that aims to turn sunlight into a source of heat exceeding 1,000C that could help replace fossil fuels. It is the first company in the world to concentrate sunlight to reach temperatures that are high enough to power heavy industry without carbon emissions.

 

Gates has also pledged to give most of his estimated $118bn fortune to good causes via The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This week he donated $100m to help tackle the coronavirus.

 

The vessel is unlikely to take to the seas before 2024, according to the Sunday Telegraph, which reported the Gates commission. When it does, it has the potential to reach speeds of 17 knots (about 20mph) and travel 3,750 miles (or roughly London to New York) before it needs to refuel. The Sunday Telegraph said the boat would have a “diesel back-up” due to the scarcity of hydrogen refuelling stations.

 

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Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates Becomes The First To Buy Liquid-Hydrogen Superyacht For Rs 4,600 Crore

 

Bill Gates first unveiled his plans of buying a superyatch at the Monaco Yacht Show last year in December.

 

Bill Gates is a regular superyacht holidaymaker but has not previously owned his own vessel and has preferred to rent during his summer trips

 

Microsoft co-founder and the world’s second richest man Bill Gates has commissioned himself a futuristic superyacht called ‘Aqua’ that’s powered entirely by liquid hydrogen -- meaning its only emission is water -- for Rs 4,600 crore.

 

Gates is a regular superyacht holidaymaker but has not previously owned his own vessel and has preferred to rent during his summer trips.

 

The plans of buying the superyacht were unveiled at the Monaco Yacht Show last year in December.

 

Aqua liquid-hydrogen superyatch

 

Aqua liquid-hydrogen superyatch ( Sinot.com )

 

Notably, this is the first of its kind being powered by liquid hydrogen.

 

The luxury liner is 370ft-long and comprises five decks complete with space for 14 guests, 31 crew members, a gym, yoga studio, beauty room, massage parlour and cascading pool on its rear deck, The Daily Mail reported on Sunday.

 

Hydrogen fuel works by creating electricity to power a battery and motor by mixing hydrogen and oxygen in specially treated plates, which are combined to form the fuel cell stack.

 

Aqua superyatch

 

Aqua superyatch ( Sinot )

 

The fuel cell stacks and batteries have allowed engineers to significantly shrink these components to even fit neatly inside a family car, although they are also commonly used to fuel buses, other larger vehicles and now superyachts, according to Unilad.

 

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Yeah, the powerful need to flaunt their power and the wealthy their wealth; otherwise who will notice them?  😉

 

Kindly avoid in every post: "Kindly avoid writing 'Thanks' etc. Use any Emoji instead.

 

Thank you!

 

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8 minutes ago, aum said:

Yeah, the powerful need to flaunt their power and the wealthy their wealth; otherwise who will notice them?  😉

 

Kindly avoid in every post: "Kindly avoid writing 'Thanks' etc. Use any Emoji instead.

 

Thank you!

 

It is my signature, bro. It gets auto-embedded in every post unless I avoid it each and every time by intervention. 

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Similar topics merged.

 

Please use Search before posting, thanks.

 

Also, off-topic discussion hidden.

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2 hours ago, aum said:

Kindly avoid in every post: "Kindly avoid writing 'Thanks' etc. Use any Emoji instead.

 

Thank you!

 

There is a signatures setting (an 'x' drop-down list) at the top right of posts' signature areas in posts.  (Only shows if that post has a signature)

 

That drop-down list allows you to hide/show all or just that member's signatures.

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