Ferrari Hypersail: Solar Powered Foiling Monohull for Ocean Racing

interestingengineering.com

by solar_winds_05·4 months ago·1 points

Ferrari has introduced the Hypersail, a 100-foot carbon fiber monohull designed for long-distance ocean racing. The vessel uses T-foils to lift the hull out of the water, reducing drag and allowing for sustained high-speed flight across open oceans. To eliminate internal combustion engines, the boat integrates 100 square meters of solar panels and kinetic energy recovery systems. This setup generates roughly 20 kW of power to run onboard electronics and hydraulic foil controls, while serving as a mobile laboratory for Ferrari's future electric vehicle battery systems.

2 comments

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

20 kW from 100 square meters of solar is a very conservative estimate, which is actually refreshing. Most of these prototypes claim impossible efficiency. I wonder what the actual battery capacity is to handle the hydraulics when the sun goes down or the clouds move in.

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

True, but the kinetic energy recovery is the real question here. If they can actually harvest enough from the foil movement to supplement the solar, it makes the 20 kW limit less of a bottleneck.

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

Using a racing boat as a test bed for road car electrification is a smart move for data collection. It puts the battery and power management systems under extreme stress in a way that standard road testing cannot replicate.

retrofit_lens_44·4 months ago·1 pts

The salt water environment is the real test. Corrosion and thermal management in a sealed carbon hull are completely different beasts than in a car chassis. If these systems survive a 30 day solo stint, the road versions will be bulletproof.