DHL Water Strider boat solar battery for the Express delivery

June 20, 20182min read

DHL has supported a project of graduate students of Royal College of art and Imperial College London Oliver Lehtonen and Philip Ahlfeld. He calls the Water Strider, and this is the first Autonomous boat with solar panels, created especially for Express deliveries in the water.

The volume of shipping constantly growing. According to DHL, in 2014, 16 of the largest cargo ships moved through the seas and the channels exactly the same goods, as did all cars of the world. Almost all of the existing logistics chain, including sea-based vehicles with internal combustion engines. This is generally disastrous for the environment and fuel costs play an important role in the formation of prices for services of carriers. Need for new solutions and new technologies – for example, solar energy that is already available, but has not yet been used on an industrial scale.

The developers believe that the DHL Water Strider will be the flagship of the next generation of delivery services. Throughout the developing technology of drones and Autonomous cars, which do not require the presence of a driver. However, most cities in the world have access to water 85% of the European capitals located on the canals and rivers, – and that this will require quick, quiet and environmentally friendly boat that required nothing more than the sun.

The main feature of DHL Water Strider are underwater wings height-adjustable for different modes of navigation. The boat is equipped with 12 sqm of solar panels that provide 8 kWh of energy, and a cargo compartment volume of 5 cubic meters, which will put the burden as much as is able to translate a mid-size camper.

The development is the winner of the Blue Sky Transport Design Award, organized by the DHL company. The creators of the project, the students of Oliver Lehtonen and Philip Ahlfeld received a prize of £10,000 and a guarantee from DHL that the Water Strider prototype will be built.