Hydra (boat)

{{Short description|22 person hydrogen boat}}

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Image:Die Hydra in Leipzig I.jpg

The Hydra is a 22-person hydrogen boat, power-assisted by an electric motor that gets its electricity from a fuel cell.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fuelcells.org/pdfs/TECHUP8august.pdf |title=Fuel cell technology update = August 1, 2000 |access-date=November 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129085307/http://www.fuelcells.org/pdfs/TECHUP8august.pdf |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=dead }} Its debut was in June 2000 on the Rhine near Bonn, Germany.

The idea for this project came from Christian Machens in 1999 for designing and building the fuel cell system for the Hydra in Leipzig.

The boat transported around 2,000 passengers in 1999/2000[http://www.fuelcell.hu/fchu_engine/index.php/en/applications FC Applications] and was used as a ferry-boat in Ghent, Belgium during an electric boat conference in 2000. It was fully certified by the Germanischer Lloyd{{Cite web |url=http://www.gl-group.com/infoServices/rules/pdfs/gl_vi-3-11_e.pdf |title=GL- Rules for classification and construction |access-date=2014-11-21 |archive-date=2013-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021725/http://www.gl-group.com/infoServices/rules/pdfs/gl_vi-3-11_e.pdf |url-status=dead }} for passenger transport, and the fuel cell system had the ability to start even at temperatures below freezing point.

The boat was withdrawn from service in 2001.