Chief Minister MK Stalin interacted with 10 college students from Coimbatore, who have been shortlisted as a team to take part in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (MEBC). He also provided them with a Rs 15 lakh-worth sponsorship through the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (Startup TN), stated a report in The New Indian Express.
The students from Kumaraguru College of Technology have designed the electrical propulsion system with hydrogen fuel cells on their own. This is touted as India's first hydrogen-powered energy boat.
Team Sea Sakthi
The team named Sea Sakthi will compete against 16 teams from across the world in the MEBC, which is organised by the Yacht Club De Monaco to promote green innovation in the yachting industry. It encourages students and researchers to build boats with a focus on zero-emission propulsion and sustainability.
The boat's cockpit is fabricated with carbon fibre and a pre-set primary energy source of an 8.4 kWh lithium-ion battery; It has a top speed of 18 knots/mile and can run continuously for up to four hours.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, the team's faculty in-charge, S Kiran Lal, said the students developed the propulsion system and the boat within just four months. "Compared to the last year's solar-powered propulsion, this is 40% more fuel efficient. Some students have further plans to commercially develop the electric propulsion system for boats," he added.
The boat development cost Rs 18 lakh and the total cost of participating in the competition came to around Rs 60 lakh. Team Sea Sakthi had qualified for the international challenge last year as well, and had secured sixth place overall in addition to bagging the 'communication award'.
