Hypermotive and Honda bring hydrogen power to the maritime sector

Hypermotive Ltd has unveiled X-M1, a unique platform for hydrogen fuel cell-based power generation tailored to marine applications. Developed in collaboration with Honda, and underpinned by Hypermotive’s SYSTEM-X technology, X-M1 is a scalable, modular, hydrogen fuel cell power system that makes clean energy transition more accessible and achievable for maritime operators. X-M1 is designed to bring sustainable energy and reliable performance to a variety of newbuild and existing vessels, including cruiseships, ferries, workboats, motor yachts, and more. 
The maritime sector has relied on fossil fuels for propulsion and power for over a century. At sea, where reliability and safety are of paramount importance, innovation for cleaner solutions must align with these constraints. As pressure increases to lower carbon emissions in the sector, the role hydrogen has in energy-intensive sectors like marine becomes ever clearer. This inspired the innovative X-M1 – a universal solution for marine power that addresses sustainability concerns while confronting the realities and demands of commercial operations. 
“We’re approaching the maritime industry with the same spirit of innovation that has underpinned our success in the automotive, commercial vehicle, and rail sectors.” says Adam Huckstep, CEO of Hypermotive, “We understand the growing pressures and immense challenges of our customers, especially when it comes to reducing emissions. Addressing these demands with the need to control costs and ensure optimum safety and reliability is no mean feat. Leveraging our expertise in hydrogen systems and collaborating with industry leaders like Honda has enabled us to meet those challenges head-on and create new opportunities in the sector.”
Engineered by Hypermotive and powered by Honda, this collaboration marks the first proof of concept for Honda’s latest hydrogen fuel cell system in Europe. The compact yet powerful system has been designed to offer exceptional durability and versatility across a variety of uses – including fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), commercial vehicles, construction machinery, and in stationary power generators.
Designed to withstand the demanding and unpredictable conditions of maritime operations, Hypermotive’s X-M1 is ready for adoption across vessels of a wide range of duties and tonnage. Its versatile approach seamlessly integrates with existing ship components, and its modular design promises greater flexibility for those new to hydrogen transition, with simple installation, maintenance, and upgrade options. X-M1 operates on a secure platform to ensure cybersecurity compliance, with advanced technology monitoring safety, reducing risk, and optimising system efficiency and lifetime while maintaining consistent delivery of required power output. 
X-M1 is built on Hypermotive’s SYSTEM-X technology, an ecosystem of hardware and software products that accelerate the implementation of optimised hydrogen power systems using fuel cells, compressed gas storage, and the connectivity of those power systems to their applications and the cloud.
“Honda has been focusing on the potential of hydrogen energy since the 1980s, and we are excited to now be collaborating with innovators like Hypermotive to create robust, efficient solutions for a variety of energy and power needs.” says Ingo Nyhues, Deputy General Manager Europe Business Planning & Development at Honda Motor Europe. “There is a great opportunity with the maritime industry to demonstrate the performance and efficiency of a hydrogen solution like X-M1, which is a significant step towards achieving carbon neutrality in this sector.”
X-M1 is currently in development, with a view to bringing it to market in the near future through a joint engineering process with Honda – proof of concept (PoC) trials are planned for 2025 to ensure the system meets the highest standards of reliability, safety, and performance before full-scale deployment. Transitioning to Hypermotive’s X-M1 hydrogen solution requires installation of the system on the vessel, with a customised assessment to enable cross-functionality with existing systems and engineering.