MIEEG and iSpace2o have signed an agreement to develop a collaboration on an innovative project that aims to shake up the nautical sector. The two Italian startups will in fact be involved in the construction and testing of a range extender based on MIEEG technology for use on iSpace2o DeepSeaker, boats that will be able to navigate on the water surface, like a hydrofoil, and at the same time make dives up to 50 meters deep, in full comfort, using the power of a highly efficient electric generator, powered by hydrogen.
The project, called “iSpace2o-MIEEG DS1-M-H (Deepseaker1-MIEEG-Hybrid)” will exploit an electric powertrain with DeepSpeed turbines, produced by Sealence. The boat was born from the idea of Giuseppe Carusi, iSpace2o founder. The company was established in 2019 as an innovative startup, from previous studies on vehicles that could dive and navigate on water, but with traditional engines. Thanks to technological progress, it has been possible to accelerate the process by exploiting innovations in the electrical field. The goal is creating a vehicle that can be used both for leisure and for public utility missions, such as rescue at sea and scientific research.
The agreement with MIEEG will allow to experiment and fine-tune the proprietary technology during the prototyping phase. MIEEG is a highly innovative startup founded by Angelo Minotti, who is developing a high-power miniaturized electric generator, characterized by a revolutionary combustion chamber and also powered by hydrogen. The MIEEG patent is filed in nearly 50 countries, including Italy, China and Hong Kong.
The hydrofoil-submarine iSpace2o-MIEEG DS1-M-H,a concentrate of technology, with a head-up display (HUD) and a breathing system that will extract the necessary oxygen needed to replenish the rebreather from the seawater, will be characterized by an easily maneuverable and a payload of 400 kg, for a gross weight of about 3500 kg in a length of 5 meters. The vehicle will be able to carry up to four people in total safety through highly innovative technologies developed in Italy.
In the iSpace2o – MIEEG DS1 – M-H version, MIEEG will develop a generator able of reaching a power between 80-120 KWe, which will charge the batteries that will drive the DeepSpeed motors, using the hydrogen-air combination as power supply. The use of this power system will reduce the lithium battery pack from the 600 kg needed to provide up to 240 minutes of navigation and 30 minutes of diving, down to about 80-100 kg. The saving weight will be used to load hydrogen, allowing to extend from 5 to 7 times the navigation in a totally green and sustainable way.
“I learned about the MIEEG project and this technology intrigued me, realizing how this device could be useful as a range extender for our vehicle, to facilitate the task in terms of volumes and in terms of costs – says Giuseppe Carusi, iSpace2o founder -. The MIEEG generator would allow us to extend the range of action with a smaller number of accumulators, while simultaneously reducing the internal air volume. This system then allows us to project ourselves towards the future, given that we had foreseen a system based on hydrogen cells for the next phase 2”.
“We are very satisfied with the agreement reached with iSpace2o – explains Angelo Minotti, CEO and founder of MIEEG -. Their project is exciting. Together we will be able to develop a system able to further extend the autonomy of the DeepSpeed system adopted, to make them more competitive than the related battery systems. This will also allow to increase the payload, with obvious advantages. The MIEEG system, using hydrogen, exploiting 3D printing for the construction of the components, and being specifically designed for this system, is characterized by very high efficiency, minimizing its environmental impact, thus contributing substantially to the fight against pollution, fundamental in the marine environment “.