Hynova Yachts joins the Yachting Village
As part of the work on the Yachting Village, a space bringing together yachting professionals in the Mediterranean port, La Ciotat Shipyard, the infrastructure manager had launched a call for projects to award lot No. 14 to "an innovative company capable of reducing the environmental footprint of large yachts and/or shipyards in La Ciotat." The jury of experts finally chose on March 17, 2021 the company Hynova Yachts, which is behind a 1st hydrogen fuel cell yacht of 40 feet. The company will benefit from a 470 m² space for 3 years under privileged conditions.
Becoming a hydrogen integrator on board ships
Hynova Yachts already had an affinity with the nautical ecosystem of La Ciotat. The hull of the prototype of its first model in the process of being finished, the Hynova 40, was built by the iXBlue shipyard in Ciotaden, before being finished at Palumbo Yachts in Marseille. The new facility will allow Hynova Yachts to internalize the crucial issues of hydrogen. "We realized that hydrogen required the acquisition of specific skills, particularly for onboard integration. We therefore decided to internalize them in order to be able to apply them to our boats, but also to retrofit existing boats for propulsion or other needs. This also guarantees freedom of timing. We can be installers for our partners eODev, which supplies us with the hydrogen fuel cell," explains Laetitia Vichy, Hynova Yachts' communications and marketing manager. The company also sees an economic gain by internalizing the high-end finishing touches, which are more costly if outsourced. "We can thus remain competitive by manufacturing in France, even with hydrogen," she adds.
A springboard to push hydrogen in the boating industry
While the first official sailings of the Hynova 40 The New Era prototype are expected on May 17, 2021, the boat has obtained its homologation. Marketing has been launched and the first sales to professionals could be made quickly, depending on the aid obtained from the ADEME. The new workshop, capable of accommodating 3 boats, symbolizes this 1st step. "It is a springboard and an opportunity that La Ciotat Shipyard gives us to integrate this ecosystem. Eventually, we hope to grow quickly and need our own shipyard" concludes the young woman.
