The $644-Million Hydrogen-Powered Superyacht That Bill Gates Did Not Buy
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Several days ago, the entire media world — including major news organizations and design blogs — began reporting that Bill Gates bought a $646 million hydrogen-powered superyacht. Criticism and praise of this action subsequently flooded social media.
However, Gates did not, in fact, buy the yacht.
RELATED: WORLD'S FIRST HYDROGEN-POWERED SUPERYACHT IS HERE AND IT IS A BEAUTY
The Aqua superyacht
Nevertheless, clearly this a super-yacht demands attention. To anyone who has a cool $646 million lying around, traveling in an eco-friendly, conscience-clearing style has just become easier.
While Microsoft's co-founder did not, in fact, become the first person to buy the environmentally-friendly, hydrogen-powered superyacht, Aqua, it remains to be seen who will be the owner of this luxurious, $646 million dreamboat.
Built by the Dutch company Sinot, the Aqua superyacht spans a whopping 112 meters (370 feet) in length, features five decks, enough space for 14 guests and 31 crewmembers, an outdoor infinity pool, a helipad, a spa, and a gym.
All to say it smoothly carves through water, and is powered by two 1MW motors, run on supercooled hydrogen tanks.
Instead of burning coal or wood, the Aqua uses gel-base fire bowls in order to keep guests warm when on the outdoor decks.
The unknown owner-to-be won't be moving anywhere at top-speed though, as the superyacht only reaches speeds of up to 17 knots (31. 5 kph, or 19.6 mph). That said, it has a 6,035 km (3,750 mile) range, which is plenty to cross oceans.
However, Sinot added one piece onto Aqua that's not environmentally-friendly: its diesel engine backup. This is a fall-back option; if the Aqua can't find a dock with a hydrogen-filling station, the superyacht will have to power itself forward by other means.
#aqua #boat #gear #green #hydrogen Bill Gates is the first to buy a hydrogen-powered 'superyacht' https://t.co/QL4Js0hKqi pic.twitter.com/48hGDi76ui
— European Chamber of Digital Commerce (@Juchtervbergen) February 10, 2020
Sadly, no one can see it soar through the waves until after 2024. Surely it will be a sight to behold.
Such a magnificent boat is solid proof that more environmentally-friendly ways to travel are coming into existence every day, and this might mean that similarly eco-friendly modes of transportation will soon be available to those with more modest financial situations.
***Editors' Note: Previously, we wrote that Bill Gates had purchased a $646-million hydrogen-powered superyacht. He did not. Every instance in this article of referring to Gates as the owner has been changed to reflect this. Additionally, statements reflecting the opinion or implying that Bill Gates could or should have reallocated his money into alternative energy research and production have been removed. Interesting Engineering offers its sincere apologies to our readers, and Bill Gates, for this serious error, and any subsequent problems or confusion it may have caused. -IE Editorial***
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