Synhelion powers first steamboat with solar diesel
Lugano/Lucerne/Jülich - Synhelion has powered a steamboat with solar fuel for the first time. Fueling the SVG vessel demonstrates the potential of Synhelion's fuel, which is to be produced in commercially relevant quantities in the future.
The solar fuel pioneer Synhelion, based in Lugano in the canton of Tessin, has powered a steamboat operated by the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company (SGV) with its solar diesel fuel for the first time. The fuel comes from Synhelion's DAWN production facility in Jülich in Germany, where the company has been producing sustainable synthetic fuels on an industrial scale since last summer. According to a statement from the company, the fuel is compatible with conventional combustion engines and could enable nearly CO2-neutral mobility in the future.
SGV is the first shipping company to use Synhelion's solar fuel. The 110-year-old steamboat Gallia was symbolically fueled as part of the launch of the new Legends of Lake Lucerne boat tour. SGV has already signed a five-year offtake agreement to continue purchasing solar fuel from Synhelion on a regular basis in the future. «We are delighted to have SGV as an innovative partner at our side, actively contributing to the scaling of our technology», Gianluca Ambrosetti, co-CEO and co-founder of Synhelion, is quoted as saying.
Synhelion recently fueled the first motorcycle with its solar fuel. According to Ambrosetti, the fuel is versatile. «Sustainable fuels are a key lever for reducing emissions not only in aviation, but also in shipping and other transportation sectors,» Ambrosetti added.
Synhelion now plans to expand the production capacities at its industrial plant DAWN in order to supply commercially relevant quantities of its solar fuels in the future. These will be gradually introduced into other means of transport, helping to drive the transition to a net-zero transport sector.
Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees (SGV) AG
