Vripack’s V20 wins
Vripack’s V20 Solar Racer has received a 2013 green environmental award special mention from the international motorboat federation UIM. The trophy was presented last Saturday the 1st of March in the exclusive Salle des Etoiles in Monaco.
The UIM Executive committee selected the V20 Solar Racer for a ‘Special mention for Greening the Sport’. Bart Bouwhuis and Marnix Hoekstra, directors of Vripack, attended the Awards Giving ceremony and are very proud of this outstanding achievement.
Bart Bouwhuis and Marnix Hoekstra explain; “Solar energy is one of the most important essentials in the puzzle towards a sustainable economy. The V20 Solar Racer is there to promote the ultimate synergy of nature, motion and innovation within the motor racing sport. The constant focus on expertise from the fields of innovation and scientific developments is important to Vripack in order to stay focused within the delivery of high quality design, architecture and engineering. The V20 is an excellent way to bring our knowledge of Solar Racing to the World in our typical Holistic approach as we don’t simply design boats we engineer fantasies.”
The V20 is the Worlds first One Design Solar Racer which is solely driven by the energy created from the sun. The V20 is a so called Hydro Foiling WIG vessel. The adjustable hydro foils carry her hull out of the water and the NACA shape of the deck creates a Wing in Ground (WIG) effect creating additional lift. The goal for all this is to reduce the natural resistances to a minimum allowing the Solar Power to be used for pure speed followed by pleasure and an ear to ear smile.
The V20 is a light weight composite vessel with solar cells which also has the possibility to stall the sun energy in her Lithium Ion batteries or convert this energy directly to the propeller. A sophisticated battery management system assists the pilot to determine what the ideal speed is. With sufficient energy yield it is possible to cruise 100% on the sun and even recharge the battery at the same time. The boat is driven by an electro motor which powers the propeller allowing the V20 to fly up to a speed around the 30 km p/h.
In a World Wide Class several V20s will be challenging each other and the elements in an International race circuit. The boats in the V20 class are all identical except for a few strategic elements. The V20 solar boat will add a new exciting element, the V20 Class, to the 5th edition of the Dutch DONG Energy Solar Challenge, between 28th June and 5th July 2014. Then the Solar 1 Monte Carlo Cup, a result of a partnership between Monaco based Solar 1 Races, The Monaco Yacht Club and Vripack, will follow which takes place on the Mediterranean waters in the Monaco bay between 10th and 13th July 2014.
