Futura, the sustainable propulsion boat, also composed of solar panels and an electric motor, built by the University of Bologna’s UniBoAT project, won second place in the prestigious Prince Albert Award, third place in the Championship Race, and third place in the Endurance Race, also consolidating its position in second place in the ranking of Italian teams. «Despite the unforeseen events encountered, such as a 40 percent reduction in available energy compared to competitors in the Endurance Race, a broken propeller blade and a rudder anomaly, the team managed to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the innovative solutions proposed. The team is already working to solve the technical problems encountered, determined to further improve the performance of Futura, a boat that still proved to be an innovative and high-performance technological platform» the University researchers said.
Compared to the past, the team decided to focus on a more powerful engine, introducing the need to develop a 96V system (from 48V) from scratch, with all the associated issues in terms of development and integration of other components. The entire thruster was also designed and built by introducing several innovations over existing solutions, which also led to the filing of a first patent related to counter-rotating trailing propellers for outboard applications, versatility, efficiency and lightness of the system. This year’s UniBoAT Project is part of the larger GreenWave Most Project, funded by the National Center for Sustainable Mobility (MOST) to demonstrate the feasibility of low-impact technologies in all areas of mobility.
